


I Think You're Already Home

by jaerie



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Agoraphobia, Alpha Louis Tomlinson, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Anxiety, Body Worship, Breeding Kink, Emotional Fluff, Exposure therapy, Famous Louis, Far Too Detailed Worldbuilding, I'll add as I think of things, Intersex Omegas, Knotting, Lactation Kink, M/M, Male Lactation, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Mental Health Issues, Mpreg Harry, Non-Famous Harry, Omega Harry, Panic Attacks, Pregnancy Kink, Pregnant Sex, Questionable Parenting Decisions, Small Penis, Strangers to Lovers, Surrogacy, i forgot to tag
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-03
Updated: 2019-12-20
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:13:44
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 38,318
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21653554
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jaerie/pseuds/jaerie
Summary: Seeing Louis Tomlinson today, it would be hard to guess that he was ever once a member of the world's most famous boyband. These days he doesn't even the leave his own house.  The truth is hecan'tleave his own house.  He can't even remember the last time just standing at an open door didn't send him into a debilitating panic attack.  But, against his friend's advice, Louis is ready to add meaning to his life again.  He's ready to start a family.  So what if he doesn't have an omega?  There are plenty of surrogacy services just waiting to help the rich and famous become parents. He just has to find the right one for the job.
Relationships: Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson
Comments: 131
Kudos: 946





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lululawrence](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lululawrence/gifts), [SadaVeniren](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SadaVeniren/gifts), [LadyLondonderry](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyLondonderry/gifts).



> Merry Christmas! Sort of. It's December and, with my lovely friends doing their artwork and holiday cards for the season, I thought I would give something back in return. So... SURPRISE! This was supposed to be short and smutty but ended up being growing feelings and a plot... so it's LONG and smutty. So here is my not-quite-organized-enough-to-be-a-real-advent-fic advent fic!! Look for several posts this month. (Don't worry, it won't be abandoned like other, uh, things~) I hope you all enjoy.

Louis peered out the window again and sighed as he let the curtain fall back into place. The line of paparazzi were still camped outside the gate that guarded his driveway. A few tents were even set up along the sidewalk suggesting that some were too invested to even take a break from their constant surveillance. They’d been there for weeks already and Louis couldn’t understand why getting a glimpse of him was still such a big story. They’d barely paid attention to him when he’d been in the spotlight, when he’d wanted the press. 

Liam and Niall had already announced solo projects. Niall already had studio time booked to start recording his first album with his new label and Liam had a long list of appearances to make before he jumped into writing for his. 

That just left Louis without any public plans for his career. The truth was that, so far, he didn’t have any plans for his career at all. The longer the gossip squad stayed camped outside his home, the more he didn’t  _ want _ to make any plans. 

The last six years of his life had been singles, albums, appearances, interviews, arena tours, stadium tours and jet lagged plane rides around the world. The last thing Louis wanted was to jump right back into that chaos. Liam could never sit still and Niall had been dreaming of taking over the world with his guitar. Louis just wasn’t like them, not at this point in his life, anyway. 

He appreciated the simple things in life more than his band mates ever had. He valued the days off that he could spend chilling at home and thrived when he had a moment to take a breath. Sleeping in was a luxury he never took for granted. 

He didn’t regret being in One Direction. The three alphas had been thrown together into a band when they were all in their late teens with starry eyed dreams of making it big. Even with the downsides, those were some of the best experiences of his life. The adrenaline of being on stage in front of thousands was exhilarating and it gave his life purpose every time a fan drew strength from their music. He’d never take back what they did. 

The truth was that Louis was tired. 

He could feel it in his bones, gravity weighing him down the moment he stopped moving. He wanted to be able to lounge around and play video games or watch marathons of Netflix in his pajamas for days on end in the comforts of his own home. He wanted to get drunk and waste a day nursing his hangover without having to deal with it on another flight overseas or in front of thousands. He wanted to spend his rut in the privacy of his own bedroom without being hopped up on accelerant drugs or hazy on suppressants when it didn’t fit the band’s schedule. 

He wanted to take some time to find out who he really was without everyone telling him how he was supposed to be, without having to be what his fans expected him to be. 

He’d grown into a man under that scrutiny and, in so many ways, he still felt like a teenager searching for his place in the world. 

Watching the cameras as Greg, his personal assistant, tried to get his car through the barrier of people so he could get through the gate, Louis sighed. It was in that moment as the cameras flashed and Greg struggled to drive through the partially opened gate that he cemented his decision. 

Louis wasn’t going to be announcing any plans. He was done. 


	2. Chapter 2

-Three Years Later -

“I left you passes for my show at The Forum tonight,” Niall finally said after they’d been on the phone already for a good ten minutes. “You should come.” 

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll see if I can make it!” Louis said and tried to sound genuine in his intent though he knew he wasn’t even considering it. 

“Tommo. Louis. You gotta get out, man. I can send a car and have security on you the whole time. No one would even have to know you’re there. Out of any venue, you know they’ll be discreet.” 

Louis sighed. It had been over eighteen months since the last time Louis left the confines of his house in general let alone venture out to such a high profile event. Niall had been nominated for a Grammy this year after all. Everyone was dying to see him. The show had sold out within minutes during presale. 

“Yeah, I’ll think about it,” Louis’ voice dropped the fake cheerfulness as he looked down at his bare feet on the cold tile floor of his kitchen. 

“You can’t keep doing this to yourself. I know you miss it.” 

Niall had the voice of a concerned friend which was exactly what he was. Niall was more like a brother to him, really. And he was right. Louis _did_ miss it. He missed the adrenaline build before he went on stage, the energy rush of the screaming crowd, the elation of having songs that he’d written screamed back to him word for word as he ran around with his two best friends. 

Then just as the memories would flood him with enough fondness to make him smile to himself, the reality of that situation would slam down into him in the crippling way it did every time he tried to set foot outside of his house. The narrow path that had to be carved out for him as they pushed their way to a waiting car through the building mob that closed in on him. The hands that reached towards him like each person had sprouted multiple arms like Indian deities that grabbed at his clothing and pulled on his hair, the fingernails that scratched his skin. The strobe light of flashing cameras that made him dizzy and left him blind once he was finally inside the vehicle. The pounding against the glass he was sure would shatter as the car tried to inch forward. 

It was enough to leave Louis shaking with a white knuckled grip on his kitchen counter. 

“Lou? Louis?” Niall’s voice brought him back but didn’t stop the panic attack that arrested his whole body. 

“Yeah, I’ll think about it.” 

“Louis, did you hear anythin--” 

Louis ended the call and dropped his phone on the counter. It took all his concentration to walk on jelly legs while he held onto the ledge for dear life. There were tears blurring his vision, but he didn’t know why or when they’d come.

Breathe through the nose. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Out through the Nose. One. Two. Seven. Six. No, that wasn’t right. 

When the counter ended, he found himself on his hands and knees crawling across the floor as he gasped for air. He turned and sat when he reached the back of his sofa, propping himself up against it with his knees drawn close to his chest. 

“You’re fine, you’re fine,” he chanted to himself and concentrated on the temperature of the chilled tile still against his bare feet. They felt clammy as did the rest of his body. He was going to need a long shower. 

Greg found him spread out on the floor in the same place after what had to have been hours later. He squatted next to him and held out a hand once Louis finally lulled his head to the side and acknowledged his presence. 

“Come on, up you go.” 

It didn’t even phase Greg anymore when he found Louis in the aftermath of one of his attacks or even in the middle of one. The first few times Louis almost fired him just so Greg wouldn’t have to deal with him and whatever spiral he’d been sucked down. 

But Greg had been with him as his personal assistant when the band had been together and understood what Louis had been put through. He’d seen it with his own eyes. Plus Greg made it incredibly difficult to get rid of him. He’d probably just show up the next day with coffee like Louis had never told him he’d been canned. 

“Niall stopping over?” Greg asked once he’d steered Louis over to the couch and pressed a cool bottle of water into his hand. He didn’t even ask Louis if he’d thought about going to the show and Louis was thankful. He already knew Greg planned on taking his wife since he’d spent about as much time with Niall as Louis had there towards the end. He was glad his issues didn’t hold back his friends. 

“Dunno. Probably not. Didn’t say anything about it. It’s the last show on his American tour so I’m sure he has elaborate after parties to attend and epic hangovers to nurse.” 

Greg opened the side panel next to the tv and pulled out one of Louis’ bongs. He sat down and started to fill a bowl before handing it over to Louis. It was a normal routine. 

“ _You_ better not have an epic hangover tomorrow,” Greg warned with a pointed look. “I’m not bringing you In ‘N’ Out tomorrow no matter how many times you call or how hard you beg. I’m off tomorrow.” 

“Yeah, yeah,” Louis waved him off before taking a large hit. He wasn’t planning on drinking, anyway. Probably not. He rolled his eyes as he surrounded himself in a cloud of smoke.

Greg rolled his eyes and then moved to stand. “Mail’s on the counter, groceries are put away. Landscapers want to know if they can tear out those bushes on the east side of the house.” 

“Sure, whatever.” 

“I’m out for the rest of the weekend so make sure you call Marcie if you don’t need her to come on Monday.”

“Got it.” 

With a last wave Greg turned and headed towards the door while Louis surrounded himself in another cloud of smoke and a round of eye-watering coughs. 

He waited until he heard the click of the door to truly relax. It was only partially the result of the pot. With Greg gone, he knew no one else would be hounding him about Niall’s show. Nobody tried past a first attempt anymore. 

They were all just trying to help, Louis knew that. It wasn’t Niall’s fault that he wasn’t around enough to know how bad it had gotten. The last time Niall had truly spent some actual time in LA, Louis had at least been able to go out to dinner with him once they’d reserved a private room. It had been one of the last times Louis had been out in the world. It was easy to cover up his condition from afar.

There weren’t any specific moments that Louis could say brought him to where he was. It had been a progression so gradual he hadn’t even realized it was happening. 

At first it had been to avoid the photographers that camped outside his home on and off for months once their hiatus had been announced. Each time one of the boys announced a song, show or project, each time they interacted on twitter, each time there was new speculation on what Louis was up to - the photographers would show up once again trying to catch a glimpse of the singer who hadn’t been seen in public since the press conference. 

From there, Louis just wanted to avoid places that might cause a scene. The last thing he wanted was to be recognized at a concert where attention could be turned back on him. He wanted a break from all of that. 

Then he worried about being recognized on the street. Trying to avoid the spotlight, he didn’t want to be caught on the spot by any fan or pap that would grill him about his plans or where he had been. 

Eventually he couldn’t even work up the courage to pop into the CVS for toothpaste or even start his car once he was in the driver’s seat. Then there was one morning he couldn’t even step out his front door to grab his mail. 

Each level had come with a rational excuse and each time he brushed off any concern. Most days, he could even convince himself he was fine. 

But the truth was that he wasn’t. 

Greg had been the only one to see how it affected him, the only one to see him stripped down to the bone. Even as a beta Greg was able to read him and often derailed the worst attacks before they’d fully manifested if he was around. 

The sun reflected off the water of his well maintained pool that was left unused, unless his family was visiting. He paid way too much money to have his backyard perfectly manicured for him to only enjoy it from behind his windows. He had flashy, expensive cars that never saw the light of day and designer clothes collecting dust on their hangers. 

He looked longingly out at the warm California sunshine and knew that just standing at the open patio door would make his skin crawl like it was melting. His skin was pasty white and his hair had grown darker without the UV rays to bleach it out. But the sun and open air had become his enemy now, a reminder of all the dangers that waited for him outside the safety of his fortress. 

Once his high had ebbed to the gentle calm he’d been seeking, Louis headed towards his bathroom. His skin felt thick and uncomfortable from the sweat of his attack and a long shower sounded like heaven. 

Louis had always loved the atmosphere of the studio. He’d created his own in his basement modeled after all of his favourites he’d worked in over the years. Soft lighting, comfortable seating, top of the line equipment. His writing room was just the same. It was where he spent a majority of his days. He’d written and sold some songs to other artists since the hiatus so the public knew he hadn’t completely fallen off the face of the earth. 

Though he loved it, his daily songwriting efforts were becoming mundane. It didn’t excite him or inspire him as it used to. For every good song he churned out, there were ten bad ones and at least five terrible ones. 

Louis was bored and struggling to find purpose in anything he did and it was reflected in his work. Not only that, but Louis was lonely. 

With the boys and so many colourful people around, Louis never seemed to lack muses for his work while he was in the band. He’d even built up enough ideas to last him well into the hiatus. Now they were all drying up. The people he interacted with were the same handful of individuals who entered his life on a loop. He was close to them, sure, but any of them could abandon him if they felt like it. No one was permanent. 

It made him think seriously about something that had been bouncing around in his brain for years. Louis wanted a family. 

When their first single blew through everything like a tornado, Louis knew he’d never have a family in the way he always figured he would growing up. There was no room for proper courting when he had hundreds of omegas bearing their necks at him in a different country every day. It also didn’t give him much room to find someone that truly fit him. 

The boys always ribbed him, but Louis was a romantic. He wanted the scenting and intimacy that came with searching for a mate. 

That was something Louis knew he could never have. There would always be an uncertainty lingering with the motive of the omega. What if they were only with him for his celebrity? 

Louis had given up on a traditional family long ago. That didn’t mean he couldn’t have his version of one. 

Louis was ready for a baby. Even with his celebrity status, Louis would be hard pressed to find an adoption agency willing to even consider a single alpha for the process. Plus, he knew he’d never get past the first round once they learned he shut down at even the thought of leaving his own home. 

Lucky for Louis, there were other options available for anyone with money. 

Louis set his guitar down and pulled his laptop onto his lap. He’d been trying to distract himself during Niall’s show and, by the time on the screen, it was probably nearly through. What better way to distract himself from his friend’s successful career than planning out a future for himself? 

It had been bouncing around in his mind for a while and it was exciting to finally be pulling the trigger. He typed _surrogacy LA_ into the search bar and took a breath before combing through the results. A surprising amount of the links and websites looked like scams and he was just about to give up when he recalled a conversation he’d once had backstage at one of their shows. 

LA was always one of the places that celebrities came out in droves exposing them to the underground world of the Hollywood elite. He typed in _underground angels_ and immediately their page popped up. Underground Angels of LA. An agency with airtight confidentiality. That was the kind of privacy he needed. 

He filled in the contact information to request a consultation and then sat in his nervous excitement still staring at the screen. 


	3. Chapter 3

The agency prided themselves on matching the right surrogate to the right people. Louis would be provided with information on the surrogates the agency deemed most fitting to Louis’ situation and then Louis could choose which he’d like to have an interview with. The whole process put Louis at ease despite the butterflies that fluttered in his stomach every time he thought about it. 

The first omega they had sent had been an automatic no. With the way she gawked at Louis’ house like she’d entered Wonderland – Louis had refused to even meet with her. She looked like the type that would open her mouth and gush about meeting  _ Louis Tomlinson _ and why. He’d made Greg see her out. 

The next few all ran together. They all answered the questions like it was a job interview, like they were trying to give Louis the answers he wanted to hear. Louis wasn’t looking for someone to lie to his face and act differently once they left. They’d be carrying his baby and he needed to be able to trust they weren’t binge drinking on weekends or not taking their prenatal vitamins. They wouldn’t be Louis’ omega so he could do nothing but take their word for it. He didn’t feel he could do that with the omegas he interviewed. 

Feeling dejected, Louis was ready to give up. Greg didn’t think it was a good idea. Niall didn’t think it was a good idea. Even Liam didn’t think it was a good idea. The disastrous interviews had to be Louis’ final sign to give it up. 

Long months of waiting had been wearing on him without much to distract himself. Video games, Netflix and music weren’t as entertaining with potentially life changing events hanging in his not so distant future. 

Hanging off the couch with his head nearly touching the floor, the buzzer for his front gate nearly broke his neck. Blood pounded at his temple as he righted himself and went over to the video controls. The little screen popped up with a squinting face just a little too close to the camera. 

“Can I help you?” Louis asked, his heart always picking up at least a little when any unknown car or person approached his gate. 

“Yeah, hi, I’m Harry? The agency didn’t give me a gate code so I wasn’t sure…” 

“What?” 

“I’m supposed to have an interview? I’m with Underground Angels?” 

Louis wracked his brain. He would have remembered if he had an appointment, especially with a male omega. That wasn’t common. 

“I don’t have any interviews today.” he said over the intercom. 

“They called me this morning and asked me if I had time this afternoon and gave me this address?” 

Louis frowned but pulled out his phone. He didn’t remember seeing a missed call. He opened up his email and refreshed to see an email pop up from his case worker. 

_ Louis,  _ _   
_ _ We want to make sure you find the right surrogate which means it’s okay if you decide not to choose Underground Angels. However, I hope you don’t mind me taking the liberty of setting up one last interview for you. We’ve worked with him before and he has only just resubmitted his availability. Let me know if you’d like me to reschedule.  _

Louis stared. The other interviews had been initiated by him. It was also highly unlikely that someone had hacked into their email in order to set up an interview. 

“Can you verify your contact information?” Louis asked though he knew that wouldn’t do much. Harry rattled it off and then Louis had to make a decision. His finger hovered over the button until he finally decided that it would be the one risk he was willing to take. 

“Come on in after you park, the door is open,” he said before pushing the button to open the gate. 

Nervous energy blossomed as he watched the car make its way up the short drive. He’d had time to prepare for the other interviews and now he felt put on the spot. He hadn’t even properly dressed when he woke up that morning. There wasn’t time to do anything about that now. 

The door opened with a timid hello before Louis made his way to the foyer. He’d always read that male omegas were small so it surprised him that the man in front of him stood tall and slender. 

“Hi, I’m Harry,” he greeted warmly and held his hand out for Louis to shake. 

“I’m Louis,” he returned the handshake and then nervously wiped his palms over his sweats. “Sorry about the miscommunication. I hadn’t seen the email from the agency.” 

“No problem,” Harry smiled and immediately Louis felt more at ease. He didn’t think he’d ever seen a more genuine expression in his life. If Harry was a fake, he was a good one. 

“We can go into the living room if you’d like,” he gestured past the stairs before leading the way. 

“You have a very lovely home,” Harry said as he made himself comfortable on one end of the couch, “It feels lived in. I like that.” 

“Well I live here so…” 

“That’s a good thing! Some look like a museum when you walk through the door.” 

Louis knew exactly what Harry meant. Some of his friends had houses like that. They were perfect for holding parties but Louis had never been able to figure out how that was practical for living. He needed comfortable furniture and family pictures and traces of himself on every surface. Otherwise it just felt like another hotel room, another rented house. 

“Is this your first time doing this?” Louis jumped in before he started overthinking Harry’s comments. He didn’t like having strangers in his house alone and he didn’t want it to last longer than it had to. 

“This would be my forth time,” he answered easily. 

Louis’ jaw could have dropped to the floor if he’d let it. The slender fit man in front of him showed no signs of having carried one life already, let alone three. 

“forth?” his voice still held surprise, “Why? Do you have a gambling debt to pay off or something?” 

Harry honked out a laugh and then slapped a hand over his mouth. “Heavens, no. The money is just an extra benefit out of the deal.” 

“Why do you do it then?” 

Harry shrugged a little. “I enjoy being pregnant. The first time, a client of mine approached me about it. She’d been coming to me through her cancer treatment and when she was officially in remission, asked me if I’d carry one of the eggs she’d frozen. After I said yes, I found out that I really enjoyed being pregnant and it went really smoothly for me.” 

“Nobody likes being pregnant,” Louis deadpanned and crossed his arms over his chest. 

“I know it sounds crazy!” Harry laughed lightly at Louis’ reaction, “I just really enjoy growing life and if I can do it for someone who can’t, I feel like it’s worth my time. It makes me happy.” 

Louis chewed on his lip as he tried to detect any act Harry might be putting on for him. Usually Louis prided himself on being a good judge of character and, so far, no alarm bells were going off. 

“What’s your day job?” 

“I run a wholistic health center and shop.” 

“So you’re a health food nut.” 

“Not exactly. I had a lot of digestive issues growing up that no doctor could ever explain. It wasn’t until I started experimenting with foods that I found a diet that didn’t bother my body. I decided I wanted to be there to help other people who are looking for alternative options. We work with a lot of cancer patients and people with chronic pain.” 

Louis kept trying to poke holes in this angelic story. There was no way that someone could actually be so perfect. 

“You’re lying,” Louis said skeptically. 

“I’m not,” Harry laughed, “You can look up the website and find my picture for proof.” 

Harry pulled out his phone and then handed it to Louis once the page was loaded. He scrolled through and clicked links to make sure it was real before googling it himself for the same result. So that checked out. 

“What about you, Louis? Why are you looking for a surrogate?” 

None of the others had asked Louis about himself. It hadn’t seemed to matter to them. 

“I’ve decided that I’m at the point in my life where I’d like to start a family. Being famous has put some restrictions on courting and so I’ve decided to go at it alone. Which is where you come in.” 

Harry nodded, his undivided attention focused on Louis. It made him blush. 

“You’re going with a donor egg, then?” 

“Oh. Uh… I have to find an egg, too? I just thought… the agency didn’t ask me…” 

Louis wasn’t sure what to say. He’d just assumed that the surrogate would be the one to provide that part of the equation. 

“You want it to be mine?” Harry asked in surprise, his eyebrows raised. “I’d have to think about that. The others were the couple’s babies, I just carried them.” 

They both grew quiet but it wasn’t uncomfortable. Harry chewed on his finger while he lost himself in thought and Louis wasn’t quite sure what to say. 

“I think… I think I’m still interested,” Harry said after a few minutes. 

“Really? Even though I’m a single alpha?” It hadn’t been brought up yet and Louis needed to make sure. 

“I don’t think that matters as long as your heart is in the right place,” Harry shrugged. 

Louis had to agree with that. The baby was about to become Louis’ whole world. He’d make sure they had the best life that Louis could provide with more love than they could handle. A bright smile spread over his face. 

“Yeah?” Louis asked hopefully. 

“Yeah,” Harry agreed with a grin. “I’ll stop by the agency and pick up the paperwork.” 

“So then I just give sperm and then…?” 

“My heat is coming up in a couple weeks. We could just do it the old fashioned way. It might help it stick.” 

“You’d want that?” 

“You’re not unattractive, Louis, and I enjoy a partner during heat just like any other omega. Win win for me, really. If you’re up for it, I mean.” 

Louis’ palms felt sweaty but it wasn’t from anxiety this time. It had been years since he’d been with an omega and his dick was ready to perk up right then and there. 

“Okay. Yeah. That could work,” Louis nodded quickly. 

  
  
  


The morning Harry’s heat was set to start, Louis was a mess. He’d cleared the house for the week but still worried Greg would feel the need to check in on him. Never leaving the house or having over unknown guests, Louis’ excuses were flimsy at best and Greg could read him like a book. Still, he’d agreed to take the week off and Louis prayed he kept to his word. He hadn’t told his assistant about Harry yet since he knew Greg would only attempt to talk him out of it before the deed was done. If the bun was already in the oven, there wasn’t much any of them could do to stop him. 

He’d just made the bed with fresh sheets when he heard the sound from the gate. 

“Coming!” he called as if Harry could somehow hear him from inside the house. 

He opened the gate and Harry pulled up and let himself inside much like he had the first time. This time, Louis was waiting in the foyer. A wave of Harry’s heat hit him immediately and his eyes ached as his pupils rapidly dilated. 

“Woah,” he breathed out and couldn’t even find it in himself to be embarrassed as he let it wash over him. Harry smelled delicious. 

“Yeah, I cut it a little close,” Harry nodded. Louis could tell he was already a little out of it as he tried to set his keys in the bowl by the door. He missed and just left them on the table. 

“I had some extra paperwork drawn up, if you don’t mind. I already signed it.” 

Louis looked at the papers Harry handed over. He didn’t have time to have his lawyer look things over. 

“What kind of paperwork?” Louis took it hesitantly. 

“Just an agreement that you won’t bond me or force anything outside UA’s agreement on me while in heat. It’s pretty basic, no fine print. I promise.” 

He glanced over the words and it was fairly normal expectations for a one night stand in writing. He found a pen and signed it against the wall. 

Harry was already unbuttoning his shirt when Louis turned around. There were designs in black ink littered over his chest and torso and Louis’ mouth watered. He’d never been a fan of tattoos, but they somehow just fit the omega like his skin would look naked without them. Louis wanted to kiss each line. 

“I get a little needy during my heat so I apologize in advance if I’m too clingy. I’m really up for anything so don’t worry about taking advantage of me. I’ve never knotted without condoms so things might get a little crazy.” 

Louis had never knotted without a condom either. He went through his phase of sleeping with a bunch of O’s in the early days of his fame – models, fans, socialites – but he was always careful and respectful. 

It had been so long since the last time he’d been with someone, condom or otherwise. The anxiety started to mix with his arousal and excitement in a spiral, pulling him down with it. What if he couldn’t handle what Harry wanted? What if he broke into a panic attack mid-knot? His chest already felt tight. 

“Hey,” a gentle voice pulled him back and soft hands led his to spread out over the omega’s chest. His heart started to slow almost immediately to match the beat he felt beneath his palm. “There we go. I could feel you freaking out from over there. We don’t have to do any of this.”

Louis hated how the triggers for his anxiety and panic attacks were becoming more numerous by the day. He’d never freaked out about sex before – not since his first time and not to this extent – but he’d also never had anyone calm him the way this omega was with just a simple touch. It felt like it was being sucked right out of him where his hand rested over the omega’s heart heart. His fingertips tingled. 

Honestly, Louis  _ did _ want to do this. Apart from it being possibly his only opportunity to have sex outside of calling a rut service – which he really didn’t want to do– he found Harry attractive and his dick was already hard despite his miniture panic attack. Harry’s scent was arousing and it made the idea of conceiving his own child feel more personal than it would feel sending his jizz off in a cup and having it come back as a newborn. 

The pheromones were thick enough to swim through now, both of them contributing to the mix. The omega took Louis’ face gently in his hands and placed a soft kiss over his lips before pulling back with pupils blown. Louis could tell that he was slipping into heat fast and it was hard for him to hold back. 

“I want to,” Louis forced out and then Harry was on him. 

Their lips crashed together and they were a mess of limbs and groping hands. Louis lost his shirt along the way and Harry was already naked when they reached the couch. He’d never been more thankful for his casual attire of sweatpants as he was when they easily pooled around his ankles with just a single tug. 

The omega’s hands pushed gently at Louis’ shoulders but it was enough for him to fall back and bounce against the cushions of the couch. Harry was straddling his lap before he had time to process the new position. 

“Been thinking about this constantly,” Harry mumbled out, words a little slurred and jumbled with the intensity of his heat. “Got off so hard on getting pregnant like this. Love it so much, want the real thing.” 

Louis dick twitched. He wanted the real thing too, so bad. The thought of breeding Harry full stimulated something that was purely and instinctually alpha in him and he thrived on it. It wasn’t often that he felt like much of an alpha anymore. There were so many things about his condition that left him feeling emasculated. 

He gripped Harry’s hips and let it take over, fingers digging into the plush around the omega’s little hips. He gave himself over to it. 

The tip of Harry’s dick was wet and dragged over his stomach drawing random patterns as they writhed together. He’d never been with a male omega, so that was new. It was an interesting feeling, but he didn’t dislike it, especially when the parts that mattered for their purpose were the same as any other omega he’d been with. Slick made the slide between them messy and that was familiar. He’d always loved the Os that got really wet for him.

Harry wasted no time reaching behind and lining Louis’ dick up. It took everything in him not to force Harry’s hips down but then Harry did it for him. He was fully seated in an instant and Louis wasn’t sure which one of them moaned the loudest. It might have been a tie for both. 

Harry gripped Louis’ shoulders just as tight as Louis gripped his hips and they stayed like that for a handful of heavy breaths. 

With a slow roll of his hips, Harry started to move. His eyes were closed like he was in his own world, bottom lip caught between his teeth. 

“Oh god,” he groaned out and Louis knew he’d have bruises on his shoulders. “I can feel you hitting my cervix already, feels so good.” 

Louis’ hips punched up with a moan, so turned on by how into it Harry was. He didn’t think he’d ever been with a female omega that was so focused on seeking out their own pleasure as Harry was. He was getting so wet and Louis could feel it in the nest of hair around his prick. He briefly wondered if he should have taken some time to clean everything up down there. He hadn’t been a manicured popstar for years. He rarely even made the effort to get regular haircuts or shave his face let alone anywhere else on his body. He really hoped Harry didn’t mind. 

He looked down between them and saw that Harry was smooth, shaved or waxed so his small omega dick looked long and proud. It was an apendage he usually didn’t have to worry about during sex but curiously wanted to touch it. He wrapped his fist around it and it nearly disappeared in his hand. He squeezed just a bit and then gasped when Harry shot off with a loud moan, just like that. 

Harry grabbed his face and started rocking in his lap while he connected their lips in a messy, frantic kiss. There was some sense of mumbled words coming from the omega that was trembling with need above him. 

“Knot me! Come on, knot me! Knock me up, get me pregnant, Alpha!” 

Louis was dizzy with it, thrusting up to meet him like his life depended on it. His heart pounded in his chest and his skin was damp with sweat and all he wanted was to pop his knot, to do what the omega was begging him to do. 

He was close, he could feel it, could feel the swell popping past his rim with each thrust. It felt so good to slide through Harry’s slick bare, felt so good to feel the warmth of his body. That was how nature intended it to be and his dick hungrily sucked in the pheromones from their mixing fluids and made his knot ache in anticipation. 

It came on suddenly when Harry babbled in his ear, begging Louis to breed him while calling him Alpha. Harry sobbed out in relief as he came again, going limp in his arms in submission. Louis reached up on instinct to press his thumb into his bonding point where his shoulder met his neck which made him clench down around Louis’ knot tightly. 

Louis came hard on sensory overload, his alpha preening now that Louis had let him take over. 

“Yeah Alpha, just like that, fill me up, give me a baby,” Harry continued to mutter while rocking his hips in small motions that were driving Louis mad with pleasure. He’d never come so hard in his life or for so long. He was going to have to call in a professional cleaner for his couch.

Harry started to come back to himself when the air was too cool for their damp skin. Louis pulled the fuzzy blanket that he loved to curl up in off the back of the couch and spread it around the shivering omega like a cape. He settled and made himself more comfortable in Louis’ lap which just nestled his knot in deeper and made them both moan. It wasn’t deflating any time soon. 

“So are you really into the pregnancy thing or is that the heat talking?” Louis asked when they were both comfortable. 

“I told you I love being pregnant, I wasn’t lying about that,” Harry shrugged and nuzzled his face into Louis’ neck. He knew that Harry was scenting him without shame and a zing of pride ran through him. “Only makes sense that the act of getting pregnant would get me hot. I could get off again just thinking about how it might be happening right now.” 

He ground his hips down to make a point and then started to rock again until he whimpered into Louis’ neck and clenched around his knot. It was the hottest thing to ever happen to him and made him pulse out another spurt of come. 

“You think it will? Happen right now, I mean. Or during your heat, at least?” 

“Mmm,” he snuggled in further, wrapping his arms around Louis’ middle, “I’m very fertile. My uterus is a very welcoming place. It’s always happened on the first try and I started preparing my body a while before I submitted my availability again. Had all my hormone levels checked and everything with my exam a couple weeks ago. I should be primed and ready to go.”

Louis nodded and thought about Harry making the decision to take his vitamins and eat healthy on his own in preparation. Those were things he would be going through with his mate while they anticipated their first child if his life had been normal. They’d probably have waited for his rut to line up with their heat just to increase their chances and have a little fun with it. They’d be so excited for their baby together. 

“What about you? Did you get checked out?” 

Harry’s question caught him off guard. “Was I supposed to get checked out??” 

He shrugged and pressed a kiss into his neck, “Not necessarily. Just figured you’d have popped in to the doctor to have things checked out, make sure everything’s good to go.” 

“Oh. No. I don’t really  _ pop in _ anywhere,” Louis swallowed hard, “I don’t really leave the house. Ever.” 

“Because you think you’ll be recognized?” 

Louis froze. He knew his face had been everywhere for a while but had grown so used to only being around people who had always known or didn’t care. He hadn’t even asked Harry anything like that. He’d been caught unprepared and hadn’t brought it up. Now he was tied with an omega referencing his fame and he, quite literally, couldn’t get away from it. 

“You  _ knew _ ??” Louis sucked in a breath as his lungs clenched and his heart thudded so hard that he could feel his pulse in his knot. He wasn’t sure how it was still hard. 

Harry sat up and met his eyes with concern. His pupils were blown and his cheeks were still red, physical manifestations of his heat, but he was trying to push through them. 

“I kind of recognized you but did my google research before I came to spend my heat with a total stranger.” 

“So you came here to get something from me? To get pregnant and sell the story?” 

He was abruptly cut off when Harry put a hand over his mouth and linked their fingers together with the other. He brought Louis’ hand up to his chest as he had earlier and placed it over his heart. He was quiet for a few long moments until Louis could finally take in a normal breath. 

“You signed the same papers that I signed. I don’t and won’t get anything more than the contract states and I couldn’t sell your story even if I wanted to. Which I don’t,” Harry said surely, “My last surrogacy was for a celebrity and the public thinks they were just private during the pregnancy. Nobody knows they didn’t carry them and I’ll never tell that they didn’t.” 

“Who was it?” Louis asked, successfully distracted from panic. 

“You know I can’t tell you that,” Harry smirked and shook his head. “The one before that was for a musician. They were on tour and I only met them twice. Once at the interview and then at the birth. Nobody’s ever found out about that, either. I think I can be trusted.” 

“How do I know you can be trusted if you won’t tell me who so I can confirm or deny that the public doesn’t know??” 

Harry laughed and leaned down to kiss him. “Me not telling you should be the reason you trust me!” 

“You could be making it up!” Louis was grinning back by the time Harry pulled back to look at him. 

“I saw one of those babies on tv at an awards show a few months ago who is definitely not a baby anymore and I cried until I choked on my popcorn and had to go to the ER. Nobody could make that up.”

“You cried over it?” Louis asked. His knot was starting to go down and he could feel gravity working against everything he’d pumped into the omega. It was oozing down out around his knot unpleasantly and catching in his hair. It would be a nasty mess if he let it dry like that. 

“Only because I love being pregnant sooo so much and I remember everything about each one. It was just really emotional to remember h— _ them  _ kicking and wiggling around in there while I grew them. I missed it. It was one of the reasons I decided to do it again.” 

Harry slowly lifted off Louis’ deflating knot and laid back on the couch. He spread his tented legs and slid his hand down, lifting his balls out of the way and using two fingers to push inside himself. Louis couldn’t look away and watched him scoop his slick mixed with Louis’ come and push it back in. 

“Don’t want to waste any of it,” Harry said and closed his eyes while he fingered himself slowly, getting distracted by how it felt. Louis’ mouth watered. He’d never seen a male omega up close before, only in a few porn videos he’d stumbled upon and the anatomy drawings back in school. 

The omega’s dick was soft now, tiny as it laid to the left. His balls were in proportion too, petite but loose enough to sag towards where his fingers were currently buried deep. His lips were swollen around his fingers, engorged with the lingering arousal that wouldn’t subside until his heat had run its course. His fingers rubbed at a spot before sliding back in, biting his lip as he repeated the motion like no one was watching. 

“Is that like other omegas? Is that your…?” Louis blurted out when Harry’s fingers began to circle again.

“Clit?” Harry asked and whimpered with another circle. He was really getting into the show now that he knew Louis was paying attention. “Yeah, we’re really freaks of nature. Not all male O’s do, though. We’re all a little different.”

Harry moaned as he got himself off again under Louis’ intense gaze and then relaxed while he caught his breath again. Louis was half hard but just left it alone, too overwhelmed to start anything again so soon. 

“Never been with a male O before,” Louis said. It wasn’t like him to feel so shy but he hadn’t been around strangers much for a while, especially in an intimate setting. 

“We’re not much different than other people.” Harry shrugged and left his legs parted for Louis to have a good look. He started to play with himself but not exactly sexually, cupping his balls to move them out of the way and then playing with his little cock between his fingers. 

Louis cleared his throat and tried not to be awkward with his curiosity. He wasn’t exactly successful. “You said you’re all different?”

“Yeah,” Harry said and spread the lips of his cunt with his fingers to give Louis a nice view of his wet, dark pink hole. The scent made Louis’ nostrils flare, his possessiveness spiking when he caught his own brand mixed in. “Technically, we’re a gene mutation so it’s not black and white. I’ve met some people whose testicles never descended or things look different. Some can’t get hard or they grow breasts. It just depends.” 

Louis licked his lips. He’d have to get his mouth on him at some point. “But you got all of it?” 

“Pretty much,” Harry shrugged. He slid his hands up his chest to circle his puffy nipples with his fingertips. “I only have boobs after I’ve given birth. My nipples stayed like this, but the rest goes away after the baby is born.” 

Louis couldn’t help himself. He crawled over the omega and took his puffy nipple into his mouth. It was soft against his tongue and easy to suck. Harry buried his fingers in Louis’ hair and moaned as he held him against his chest. Louis was quickly growing fully hard again.

“You have a bedroom?” Harry gasped as Louis bit down just enough to pinch. “I’m gonna need it again soon.” 

Louis could tell by his tone that he was already slipping under, the scent of his heat growing warmer. His alpha was starting to surge again as well. 

They slowly stumbled up the grand staircase together. Harry was losing his dexterity to his heat and Louis was just overwhelmed. They barely made it down the hall before Harry was begging for it, hands all over Louis’ cock and lips all over his neck. He was solid as a rock when he watched the way the saturated scent of his bedroom affected Harry. With eyes nearly consumed by black, Harry faded into instinct and need, unable to form words. 

He scrambled onto Louis’ bed and pressed his face into the sheets, presenting himself up on his knees in perfect form. Louis nearly growled as he took in the sight of spread pussy and dwarfed boy parts hanging beneath. It was something new he hadn’t known he’d be attracted to. He fell into position easily and the height of their hips matched. 

There wasn’t a need for foreplay when they’d hardly been finished for an hour and he speared himself into Harry’s body quickly and easily. Their rhythm was rough and dirty, Harry’s full blown heat reducing him to bodily need and Louis’ alpha responded. He knotted hard and fast, his balls aching in the best of ways from coming again so soon. 

He kissed Harry’s shoulder once he’d maneuvered them onto their sides and wrapped his arms around his middle with a small squeeze. Harry took his hand and led it down his stomach to his small dick and Louis was surprised to find it still hard since he’d felt Harry come around his knot twice already. 

Harry guided him in how he liked to be touched, the moment tender and slow after how vigorously they’d just fucked. It felt small in his hand as he stroked it between his fingers with Harry’s hand wrapped around his. Harry whimpered and pushed back against his knot until he came, just a dribble spilling out over Louis’ knuckles. 

Harry didn’t seem to mind the small mess and moved to spread Louis’ hand over his lower stomach. 

“For good vibes,” he said softly, syllables drawn out on the edge of sleep. 

A rush of emotion filled him, thinking of how his baby might be catching right under their hands. He smiled when Harry’s small snores filled the air. They were cute and allowed him a moment alone with his thoughts, to gather himself after everything that had happened over the past few hours. Knot-deep in an omega, his dreams of having a child were so very close. 

He awoke with Harry on top of him, sliding down over his already hard dick in his own world. Louis groaned and gripped the omega’s hips and thrust up. It was an interesting way to wake up, but he didn’t mind it. 

Harry curled up on his chest once they were tied, pulling the blankets over them once the spike in his heat started to cool. 

“You feel really good,” Harry mumbled against his skin, cheek squished just above Louis’ nipple. 

Louis’ hands were idly running up and down his back and he had to admit that Harry felt really good too. What could have been awkward and solely for a purpose was turning out to be quite satisfying. Harry’s body was new to him, but he really enjoyed it. Knotting him didn’t feel the way it had knotting anyone else and he couldn’t contribute it all to the lack of condom. Harry was an expressive lover and his body responded the same way. Louis was going to be spoiled for anyone else for a long time – not that he was expecting to get laid again any time soon. He was about to be a father if everything went according to plan. 

There was a lull in Harry’s heat once Louis’ knot deflated and they both flopped down onto their backs beside each other. Only a few minutes went by before Louis’ alpha was urging him to check on his omega. He turned onto his side and propped his head up on his hand. 

“Can you smell it on me yet?” Harry asked with a lazy, blissed out smile. He looked so serene and sated which pleased his alpha. 

There was a pause before Louis realized he meant smelling the baby. It was too early to tell, even if the old wives tales claimed otherwise. It usually took weeks or even months for the shift in scent to be strong enough. Louis still leaned down and pressed his nose against Harry’s belly and scented along the lines of his tattoos. 

Harry had nice skin, smooth and soft. He pressed his lips in soft kisses just because it felt good against his lips. Louis’ followed the black patterns slowly, up his laurels and around the bottom half of the large butterfly. 

“Bet you look really good with a belly.” Louis couldn’t help it. He knew Harry would look hot swollen with his child. 

“Mmm, I do. Would show you a bunch of pictures but we left my phone downstairs in my pants.” 

Louis could see the evidence of Harry’s past pregnancies now that he was so close. There were thin stretch marks in a few places, a few slightly distorting his tattoos, and a small pouch of extra pudge beneath his belly button and clinging to his soft hips. The omega didn’t seem self-conscious about any of it, instead enjoying the attention. 

There were dried fluids from them both on his skin and Louis could feel that he was worse, but that didn’t stop him. His heart skipped and beat quickened but this time not from panic. It was excitement. It felt foreign, something he hadn’t felt in so long. 

It was so easy to imagine his baby in there. He rested his cheek on Harry’s stomach and thought about feeling his baby grow, feeling his little kicks and moments. It was such a pure joy. 

They took a bath together before the next wave of Harry’s heat hit and then snuggled in together for long nap. Even though it was well past bedtime at that point, during heat, naps were the most anyone could hope for. 


	4. Chapter 4

Louis was downstairs trying not to burn eggs and bacon when a rumbled-looking Harry stumbled down to the kitchen. 

“I think my heat’s broken,” he said and offered his neck for Louis to scent. It was such a natural gesture that Louis didn’t even question how intimate it was, something for those who were mated. 

“Yeah, seems like it,” Louis nodded with an odd pit in his stomach. It had only been sex for a purpose. They both knew that. Louis wasn’t supposed to have any feelings now that it was over. He blamed it on his extended abstinence. It had been too easy to get attached.

Harry was still naked and left the kitchen in the direction of the front door. Surely he wasn’t planning on leaving just like that. 

“Want some breakfast?” he called out just as Harry returned carrying his small overnight bag. He opened it and pulled on some comfy looking sweats right there next to the breakfast nook. 

“Definitely. I’m fucking starving! Gotta feed the little one!” 

Louis nearly dropped the spatula as he watched Harry rub his stomach affectionately just below the butterfly. 

“Are you??”

Harry giggled, “I don’t know, but I can only assume I am after all that.”

Louis smiled and dished up the eggs that were only a little dark around the edges. It was better than being undercooked, he reasoned. He set it down in front of Harry with a fork and went to the fridge to pour a glass of orange juice for him. 

“Sorry not everything in the house is organic or whatever it is your store sells,” Louis apologized as he sat down with his own breakfast. 

“That’s okay. It’s a general lifestyle change, not nitpicking every bite.” Louis was glad Harry didn’t gag on his first bite. “I do like eating clean when I’m pregnant but mainly because I’m growing someone else’s baby and I feel I owe it to them to at least stay as healthy as I can. I’d feel guilty if I just ate junk food the whole time and they didn’t get the right nutrients or some additive had side effects.” 

Harry shrugged and continued to eat. 

“For the record, I appreciate that, but you don’t have to deprive yourself of everything with my baby in there,” he gestured to Harry’s tummy with his fork, “A few donuts and a bag of chips isn’t going to cause that much harm. I’ve seen my mom pregnant with all six of my siblings and so I’ve seen cravings.” 

“I  _ do _ cheat sometimes. I’m only human,” he shrugged guiltily, “There were these cheese danishes from the bakery a few blocks down that I was obsessed with during my last pregnancy. They didn’t make them every day so I had to call and special order dozens of them at a time on the days they weren’t on the menu. I had to pretend I was treating my staff until they caught on and just saved some back for me.” 

“That sounds more like it,” Louis grinned. He knew he’d made the right choice with Harry even if it had been a quick, impulsive decision. It was easy with him and that gave Louis hope that his baby might have traits of his personality which would make parenting a breeze. 

Harry didn’t linger much longer after he’d showered and changed into a pair of sinfully tight jeans that made Louis’ eyes linger. 

“I’ll let you know when I take a test,” Harry said when he looked back on his way to his car. “Should be able to tell in a couple weeks.” 

Louis waved and made sure Harry made it out onto the road before heading into the kitchen to clean up their dishes. It wasn’t until the driveway gate was closed that Louis realized he’d stood at an open door for the first time in over a year. 

  
  
  


“Greg said you willingly gave him a paid vacation,” Niall said through the phone with a teasing tone, “You alright, man? He said you were a brat the last time he tried to go anywhere.” 

“Come off it, that’s mostly for show and he knows it. He needs me to be a pain in his ass sometimes.” 

“You’re a pain in his ass at all times.” 

They both laughed, Louis rearranging himself on the sofa and hitting speaker phone. He’d never admit it was so he could press his face into the couch cushion where Harry’s scent had strongly saturated the fabric. It was going to take a lot of effort to force himself to hire a cleaner. He didn’t want the scent to fade.

“So what’s really going on? You getting out of the house on your own again?” 

Niall’s tone had changed to concerned brother and Louis sighed. He knew they just worried about him, but it made it more difficult to have anything for himself. He never realized that a life out of the spotlight would mean his personal life was even more exposed. At least the group in the know was down to just the fingers on one hand instead of millions of strangers. It was too hard to hide hide things when he never went anywhere or did anything. It was like alarm bells went off when he did. 

“No, I just had a guest over.” 

It was an honest enough answer, but he knew Niall wouldn’t let him leave it at that. 

“Oooooo! A guest, huh? Did you meet on Tinder for shut-ins or something?” 

He rolled his eyes as Niall laughed at his own joke. Louis wasn’t amused.

“No, not funny. Not that you need to know or anything, but it was my surrogate.”

“Your surrogate?” Niall’s laugh cut off and his voice was serious again, “I thought we agreed that wasn’t a good idea?” 

“ _ We _ didn’t agree on anything. I  _ told _ you that I was getting a surrogate and you tried to talk me out of it.” 

He rubbed his eyes in annoyance and suppressed his urge to roll them again. Louis didn’t want the lecture. 

“Are you sure about this, Tommo? You can’t even leave your house. What are you going to do when the kid has to go to the doctor or to school or even if they want to play outside? Are you just going to hire a nanny to do everything?” 

“Can you just... not?” Louis sighed, “This is what I want. Plus, I can’t really do anything about it now even if you did try to talk me out of it. And again, not that it’s any of your business, but he spent his heat here last week so it’s already done. Bun in the oven and all that.” 

“Him?? Your surrogate is a male omega that let you spend his heat with him?” 

Louis was about to hang up the phone. There was nothing wrong with having a male omega for a surrogate nor was there anything wrong with male omegas in general. Louis was getting a little offended on Harry’s behalf. 

“So you already knocked him up???” 

“Can you just stop? I didn’t  _ knock him up _ , we entered a mutual agreement with contracts and everything. And technically, I don’t know if he’s pregnant yet. It takes a few weeks to know so I’m waiting for the call, but he probably is since he spent his whole heat with me trying for exactly that.” 

“You won’t even answer your door for me but you let some strange omega in to fuck and have your baby? I’ve tried to be supportive with whatever shit you’re dealing with, but this is crossing a line. I think you really need to get some professional help, Louis. You can’t bring a child into this—” 

“I’m hanging up, Niall.” 

Niall was still ranting when he sighed and hit the red button to end the call. Niall didn’t get it. He didn’t have the whole story. He formed his opinion on second hand stories from Greg and a few face to face visits a year. Most of the time, Louis was just fine and Harry wasn’t just some strange omega anymore. Louis was surprisingly comfortable with him and that had to mean something. 

He pressed his face into the cushion and breathed in deeply while he tried to shake off the negative energy Niall had thrown at him. Everything was going to be fine. He didn’t need Niall’s permission to do anything, let alone start a family. 

  
  
  


It had been several weeks and Harry was still constantly on Louis’ mind. The scent was fading away from his bed and the couch, but Louis would never forget it. There had been no word from the omega since he’d driven away that day and it was hard to be patient without much to distract him. He spent his days in his studio writing sappy love songs filled with longing and brushed it off as the angst of anticipation. 

It was around lunch when the buzzer on the front gate startled him off his stool at the kitchen island. He saw it was Harry and quickly let him. By the time Harry came through the door, Louis was bouncing on the balls of his feet anxiously. 

“Sorry, I know I’m not supposed to just show up here unannounced, but I’ve just come from my appointment and couldn’t hold it in long enough to arrange a meeting,” Harry was out of breath even though he hadn’t run very far. It was probably the same adrenaline filling Louis’ veins. “It worked! I’m pregnant! I told you I was super fertile!” 

Louis rushed to hug him and then held him back at arms length to look down at his shirt-covered stomach. 

“You can’t really see anything yet,” Harry raised his shirt and pushed down the band of his soft pants. “I can tell, though. The home tests weren’t registering yet, but I’ve felt a little off the past few days so I knew it. Got the blood tests done today to confirm it. Congratulations!” 

Louis placed his hand on Harry’s tummy in awe that his baby was growing just beneath the surface. It was actually happening. He was going to have a baby and he was so overwhelmed with joy that his eyes started to water. 

Harry was beaming when he looked up and he noticed for the first time how deep his dimples were. Dimples would be so cute on his baby. He hoped they inherited them. 

“Thank you so much for coming over to tell me,” Louis said, unsure what was appropriate in their unique situation. 

“I have to get back to the store but I wanted to stop over to tell you in person,” Harry said as he adjusted his pants and shirt back into place. 

Louis grinned and nodded, walking him to the door. “Thank you again. Made my day.” 

He waved as Harry skipped back to his car and then steered around the circle and back out the gate. He grinned to himself and went back to his lunch. He looked out the window and realized what had happened again. The warm breeze had felt nice against his cheeks. 

He turned back and stepped up to the front door he had closed only minutes before. He reached out and his hand started shaking in the air. He forced himself to grasp the handle and nearly had the latch open when he suddenly couldn’t breathe. Ripping his hand away as if he’d been burned, his hands flew to his throat as he started to choke on air. 

He forced himself to forget that any of it had ever happened. 

  
  
  


Days turned into weeks, weeks turned into a month, and Louis hadn’t heard a word from Harry. He knew from the contract that contact was supposed to be limited, but Louis thought their arrangement would be different. It hadn’t been a clinical procedure in a lab and exam room like usual arrangements, Louis had knotted Harry through his heat. His dick was a bit more intimate than a syringe and thought regular contact was a natural progression. 

He wished he’d asked for Harry’s phone number. Then he could be the one to initiate the contact. Maybe Harry thought he didn’t want it and was trying to be respectful. The opposite was true, though. Louis wanted to know every little detail in real time updates about his baby who, according to the internet, had a heartbeat and was the size of a kidney bean. 

It was agonizing to sit around and wait for news and he knew Greg was about to murder him for being so obnoxious. 

Just like Niall, Greg wasn’t exactly on board with the idea. Thankfully, he wasn’t as blunt or rude about it, though he had taken to subtly suggest solutions to what he apparently saw as a problem. 

“You know Bella and I have been thinking about trying… We could put them in daycare and school together. That would be nice.” 

Louis was perfectly fine with homeschooling. It would probably be the best option given his celebrity, anyway. He didn’t want his child to be treated differently or hounded by the media as he had. That just wouldn’t be fair. 

Luckily, Harry soon threw him a bone in the form of a picture attached to a text from an unknown number. 

_ Hey daddy! I have a few things to run by you. Wondering if I could stop over after work sometime this week. Let me know which night works best! Thanks! H. _

Louis was too distracted by the picture to pay attention to the words at first. It was a picture Harry had taken of himself in a full-length mirror. He was standing sideways in only a pair of black briefs, his pink phone case standing out against the neutral colour of skin and the wall behind him, but that wasn’t Louis focus. 

There was an unmistakable curve to Harry’s tummy that made butterflies flutter in his own. It was the first tangible proof that his baby was really growing right there in front of his eyes. Pregnancy really did look good on Harry, even if it was still small. 

He was able to drag his eyes away long enough to read and then respond to Harry’s question, hoping that night wasn’t too last minute. He was excited when Harry said that it wasn’t. He shoved Greg out the door and waited anxiously for Harry’s car to pull up to the gate. 

Harry was startled when Louis pulled open the door, his hand still suspended in the air where he’d been reaching for the knob. 

“Hey, come on in,” Louis said a little breathlessly, so excited that it was hard to keep himself from running in circles around the omega. He couldn’t help it. He could smell it on him, the first whiff of scent that included his baby. His alpha was like an excited puppy. 

“Hey,” Harry grinned, his expression warm. 

“I was so excited to get that picture today. I didn’t expect you to be showing already.” 

“I’ve started showing earlier with each pregnancy, I’ve noticed,” Harry smiled and his hand moved to his small belly that wasn’t visible until he rested it there. 

“You look good!” 

“Thanks! Don’t feel so great, but nothing I wasn’t expecting.” 

Harry headed towards the living room as Louis’ face dropped. 

“You’re not? What’s wrong? Are you okay?” Louis scrambled after him and hovered until the omega was safely seated on the couch. 

With a light laugh, Harry nodded. “I’m fine, calm down. It’s just normal morning sickness and feeling extra tired and stuff, nothing to worry about. I promise.” 

Louis sat beside him and still worried his lip, looking to see if he could detect whether or not Harry was lying. He must have noticed since he reached out and placed a hand on Louis’ knee. 

“Trust me. I’ve done this before. I’d know if something was wrong.” He leaned back and pulled his shirt up so Louis could see the little bump in person. “I won’t take it personally if you want to see for yourself.” 

Louis hesitated, but then gave in to the offer. He leaned forward to scent the soft skin between Harry’s laurels and was immediately calmed. There wasn’t even a hint of distress that he could detect. Satisfied, he sat back up and smiled sheepishly. 

“I get it,” Harry grinned and shrugged, “It’s natural, I don’t mind. It actually is nice that you’re so concerned. You’ll be a good dad.”

That made Louis feel better about his reaction and he relaxed, lounging back to take in the sight of Harry’s little belly. He wanted to lean in and kiss it. Maybe he would ask if he could before Harry left. 

“You had something to run by me?” he finally asked. 

“Yeah. I know all of the medical bills get run through the agency, but I wanted to ask how you’d like to handle the other things. I know they have an accountant we could go through where I submit receipts, but I’ll be honest. It’s been difficult to get reimbursed by them in the past and I know they charge you for the service. I was wondering if you’d mind if I went through you directly or if you had an accountant or lawyer you’d rather use?” 

It was cute how Harry absently rubbed his little tummy as he talked. He didn’t seem aware that he was even doing it, just a gentle little motion over his bump. It was hard for Louis to look away. 

“What kind of stuff are we talking about?” Louis asked with a raise of his brow. 

“Don’t worry, I’m not trying to take advantage of you. Just things like prenatal vitamins or any prescriptions and things like that.”

“Oh. Right. No that’s fine, you can go through me. I can have Greg write you a check.”

Harry sat up a little straighter and pulled his shirt back over his stomach. “Oh, is Greg your...?” 

“My...?” Louis was confused and then it clicked. “Oh! No, he’s my assistant slash manager, happily married.” He laughs and shakes his head. 

“Oh, good. I thought there was something you hadn’t told me,” Harry smiled too and relaxed. 

“So, yeah. Anything you need. Food, supplies, maternity clothes – just let me know. I want you and the baby to be comfortable.” 

“That’s very kind, but I usually don’t need very much.” 

He’d started to rub his belly again and Louis was drawn to it. 

“Can I touch it?” he finally asked, hesitantly lifting his hand. 

“Sure,” Harry smiled and lifted his shirt again, leaning back so the bump popped out even more. 

He placed his hand on it gently, almost ready for it to feel like something other than skin. He’d been around plenty of pregnant people before, but none of them had been his own child. It somehow felt different. 

“Can you maybe send me more pictures? Some updates?”

“I wasn’t sure if you wanted any,” Harry smiled warmly, “But I’d be happy to! Some clients don’t want to see someone else pregnant with their baby, especially if they resorted to surrogacy after fertility issues. I think it depends on the circumstances. I probably take too many pictures of myself just because I love it so much. I take at least one a day so I can put them together at the end and watch how my belly grew.” 

“I would appreciate it,” Louis nodded, “I want to feel at least a little involved.” 

“My twelve week appointment is coming up soon, you’re always welcome to come to any of the appointments with me. I can let you know when they are.” 

Louis face dropped. He would love to go. He wanted to hear the baby’s heartbeat and be there for the first ultrasound. He wanted to hear the doctor reassure him that everything was going okay. 

He swallowed hard against the ball of anxiety that had risen in his throat as he even considered it. He shut it down quickly and shook his head, lead weighing his stomach down with guilt that he couldn’t even make the journey for his baby. He convinced himself that it probably wasn’t appropriate to accompany his surrogate into such intimate doctor appointments anyway and declined with a weak smile. 

“Or I could FaceTime you?” Harry offered without hesitation, without acknowledging the panic and struggle Louis had just tumbled through. 

Louis cleared his throat and took a breath into his aching lungs. “That would be really nice. Thank you.” 

Harry smiled softly and rested his hand on top of Louis’ that was still resting on his belly. 

“No problem.” 

  
  
  


Louis woke up to a new picture nearly every day and received a FaceTime call to hear his baby’s heartbeat for the first time. He still wished he could rub and kiss Harry’s belly as often as the pictures came, but he was happy to receive the updates that he did. It was also nice that Harry popped in once a week on his way home from work just so Louis could touch his belly and make sure that he was alright. 

What Louis hadn’t expected was how his own body would react to the pregnancy. Smelling it on Harry riled up his alpha and made it difficult to keep himself in check when Harry was over. There were so many things he had the urge to do that would be inappropriate and the last thing he wanted to do was make Harry uncomfortable or cause him to stop coming over all together. 

He wasn’t proud of his actions when Harry wasn’t around, either. 

The first time Harry’s baby bump was visible without raising his shirt or pulling it tight across his stomach, Louis was so turned on. He was respectful until Harry left and then sprinted up the stairs to his room to strip his clothes off and get his hand on his cock. 

However, it wasn’t a quick wank that his body was craving. He needed something more. 

After a few frustrating minutes, he gave in and waddled over to his closet to dig out his tote of shame that usually only made an appearance during his rut. 

Once One Direction had ended and he didn’t have to rush, Louis had gone a little crazy with rut relief options. He’d long since tossed the things he didn’t prefer, but his collection was still rather impressive. He was glad that there were discreet shipping options so he could keep his secret stash. 

It had been a long while since he’d bothered to pull it out, but the silicone ass-up torso was exactly what he needed. He grabbed the lube and climbed over it, slicking up his fingers to get the toy wet and ready for him. 

Pretending it was Harry, he slipped his fingers in and worked them into the snug hole in the same way he would if it was really the omega with him. His knot was already bulging at the base of his dick so he didn’t waste more time with it. After slathering more lube onto his dick, he grabbed the hip with one hand and used his other to guide himself in. 

If he’d had warning that his dick would be begging for so much attention, he could have prepped so the silicone was warm and ready for him just as Harry had been during his heat. Instead, he just pretended that it was hot inside as he pushed in with a long, drawn out moan.

With something solid beneath him to hump, building the fantasy was much easier. Taking Harry from behind would put Louis in a perfect position to cradle his belly. He imagined sliding his hands around to hold the curve, scenting Harry’s neck just to remind himself the baby was truly his, that he had put it there. 

Over the course of just one heat, Louis’d discovered so many new things that got him hard. One of those things was Harry’s anatomy that he couldn’t stop thinking about. Male omegas had never been his thing – he hadn’t thought so anyway – but he was drawn to Harry’s omega cock. In his fantasy, he slid one hand down Harry’s belly to cup his male parts against his palm, kneading them gently until Harry bucked into his hand and begged for more. 

He went hard while his imagination ran and only stopped when he was knotted deep in silicone. The pressure against his knot was almost uncomfortable, not as much give as a natural omega body would have. Still, he didn’t attempt to pull out which probably would hurt more than just waiting it out. 

Grabbing his pillow, he balled it up under his cheek and made himself comfortable, wishing it still held Harry’s scent. Somehow, he fell asleep just like that, balls deep in a fake omega pussy while dreams of the real thing swirled in his head. 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry my peoples. I put a final chapter number so y'all knew there was an ending but very much so miscalculated how many. this thing is over 30k fam, the ride continues

Things started to fall into a routine and sometimes they even texted throughout the day about things not related to the pregnancy. It was easy to have a conversation with the omega and it was nice to feel like he had a new friend even if the circumstances were strange. 

They had yet to talk on the phone which was why Louis was sent straight into a panic when his phone started ringing at three in the morning, startling him out of a deep sleep. His stomach dropped when he saw Harry’s number and answered it even though his voice was rough and he could barely form words. 

“I know it’s the middle of the night but I’m so miserable,” Harry groaned over the line, “The air conditioning went out in my building and they can’t get anyone here until Thursday. I’ve been up all night sweating and puking and I just want to be cold and not sticky and asleep.” 

Louis took a second to calm his racing heart from all the worst case scenarios his mind had conjured up before he answered. 

“Did you try bagging up some ice or taking a cool shower?” 

“That’s so much work,” Harry whined, “I know I shouldn’t ask, but can I please come over? Even just for a couple hours? I’ll crash on the couch and I promise I won’t bother you.” 

“Don’t be ridiculous, I have several guest rooms,” Louis laughed and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. “You okay to drive or should I send over a car?” 

“You’re a saint,” Harry moaned like he’d just come and the sound went straight to Louis’ dick. He barely filtered out his own moan in his groggy state. He had first hand knowledge on what Harry sounded like during climax. “I’ve been wide awake all night so I’m fine to drive. I’ll be over in twenty.” 

Louis forced himself out of bed and down the hall to make sure one of the guest rooms was made up. He added a few extra towels to the bathroom and stacked some extra pillows and blankets on the dresser. He also knocked the temperature down a few degrees on the thermostat. 

After disengaging the alarm for Harry’s arrival, he wrapped himself up in his fuzzy bathrobe and dozed off in his recliner while he waited. 

He awoke to a clatter and a few whispered swears followed by the sound of footsteps across the wood flooring in the foyer. He rose and found Harry trying to tiptoe into the dim house with his arms full of things like he was moving in for a month. Louis rushed to his side to help. 

“Didn’t know you were such a light traveler,” Louis joked as he took the large pillow thing from Harry’s arms before taking the bag off his shoulder as well. 

Harry pouted and hugged his normal pillow to his chest. “Shut up. I’m cranky and I like being comfortable when I sleep.” 

Harry was already well into the second trimester of the pregnancy and sported a healthy basketball beneath his shirt. It made juggling so many things more difficult for him and Louis would have laughed under different circumstances. His awkwardness was adorable. 

“It’s okay, I’m just joking. I’ll help you get your stuff upstairs.” 

Harry still looked sweaty and disheveled, exhaustion showing on his face and in the way his body wilted into a slouch when Louis took everything from his arms. He was always so put together when Louis saw him, even when he was in heat he had looked perfectly tousled while Louis had looked a mess. Louis knew he must have really been uncomfortable to rush over in such a state. 

“Thank you for letting me come over. I felt like I was going to drown in sweat or die of a heat stroke.” 

“It’s not a problem, really. It’s just me in this big house. I’m glad you called.” 

Louis led him to the closest guest room and made him sit on the edge of the bed while he set up the pillows and moved his bags so he wouldn’t have to bend over to reach them. Louis also plugged in his phone charger so he wouldn’t have to crawl to reach the plug. 

Harry’s eyes were already drooping when Louis stood up, his hands moving over his belly in soothing patterns on top of his shirt. 

“Bathroom is right there and you know where my room is. Just knock or yell if you need anything else. Make yourself at home. Thermostat is on the wall if you’re too hot or too cold.” 

“It’s about perfect in here, thanks.” 

Harry gave him a sleepy smile and then started to make himself comfortable. Louis wanted to stay just to watch how he lovingly cradled his belly as he moved and how he rearranged himself with all of those pillows, but he knew that was weird. Instead he backed out of the room with a small goodnight and shut the door behind him. 

He turned to head back to his room but then stopped short. The doorway across the hall was open and Louis wondered if he should pull it closed. He bit his lip as he stepped in, moonlight through the large windows making it just bright enough to see. 

The little cans of paint were still arranged on the floor from where he had left them a day or two before, ruined brushes he’d forgotten to wash resting across the top. It was going to be the baby’s room and Louis had been spending a lot of his time trying to paint a mural that wrapped around the room. Art had never been a talent of his, but he could follow a stencil if he focused hard enough. He hadn’t been confident at first and he was glad he hadn’t given up. It was starting to look like an actual nursery. 

He imagined stepping into the room just like this to check on his sleeping son or daughter, watching them just long enough to make sure they were peaceful and breathing. It took his own breath away to realize that those moments were so close to becoming reality. That baby was growing just a room away and Louis felt like his chest might explode from the love he already felt for the little avocado. 

He sat down in the rocking chair that had been in his house growing up and was glad he’d had it shipped with the rest of his things when he’d officially moved. It was perfect for his body and still rocked nicely on the carpeted floor. It wasn’t hard for him to imagine rocking his baby right there while he fed them a bottle or attempted to soothe them back to sleep. 

The nursery was something he wasn’t sure he should share with Harry. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to, he just wasn’t sure how Harry would feel about it. Unlike Harry’s other surrogacy experiences, the child he’d be turning over to Louis was technically his own as well – at least genetically. If he’d cried over seeing one of the kids on tv, would it be difficult to see the nursery his baby would be living in without him? Was it insensitive to dangle that in front of him?

In the end, Louis decided it would be best to keep the door closed while Harry was visiting and pulled it shut when he finally grew tired enough to drag himself back to bed. 

  
  
  


“Good morning,” Louis grinned as a sleep-rumpled Harry came into the living room the next day. It was nearly noon and the first peep he’d heard out of the omega since his light snores heard from the bedroom in the early morning hours. “I wasn’t sure if you had to work or not? But I felt bad waking you up.” 

Harry waved him off and lowered himself onto the opposite end of the couch. He leaned back into the corner and let his tummy peek out from under his shirt. He didn’t move to cover the strip of skin. 

“I took the day off. I wasn’t going to be any use today anyway.” 

He yawned wide and Louis followed with one of his own. 

“And you said you  _ like _ being pregnant?” Louis said with a small laugh and shake of his head. He’d seemed miserable the night before and didn’t look much better today. 

“Love it,” Harry grinned with his hands lovingly cradling his belly. “Just because there’s a list of cons doesn’t mean they outweigh the pros. Like feeling the baby move for the first time, knowing I’m creating a little life in there – I love it.” 

Louis nodded and watched him. He did always seem to be glowing, even when he looked a little green from the morning sickness that kept making an appearance. 

“Even if I’m going to be baked alive in my apartment for the rest of the week.” 

“You could always just stay here,” Louis shrugged. It was nice knowing Harry was safe and content upstairs, even if Louis went about his day like normal. He felt settled. 

“I couldn’t impose on you like that. You have your own life and I don’t want to intrude.” Harry shook his head and looked down at his belly where his fingertip were drawing slow lines back and forth. 

“I really don’t mind, honestly. If it were up to me, you’d just move in for the rest of the pregnancy.” 

Louis shrugged after he blurted out the truth. He would welcome Harry into his home with open arms just to see him grow his baby. His scent was a nice addition to the air as well. Louis thought it complemented his own quite well, even if he was being biased. 

Harry was about to protest so he held a hand up, “The offer is there. I always have food in the house that goes to waste because I can’t eat that much and you’ve seen how big this place is for just me. You can have your own bedroom and en suite and there’s another lounge downstairs that I can use if you want this space for your own.” 

“I think the agency frowns on things like this—” 

“Harry, if you don’t want to, I won’t be offended. But I think we’ve agreed that our arrangement has already moved past those guidelines.” 

“That mattress  _ is _ really nice,” Harry chewed on his lip in thought.

“And I know it’s closer to your store. We can all sit down with the agency if it would make you feel better about it– if they can come here, I mean.” 

Louis looked down, embarrassed. Harry had never brought up his condition directly, but there would have to be a conversation if Harry moved in and he was already dreading it. He could only play off the fact that he never left the house for so long. At some point Harry would have questions. 

“I could stay for a while,” Harry eventually shrugged, “Until they get someone out to fix the air in my building, at least.” 

Harry put his feet up next to him and Louis didn’t even think about it before he started to rub them. Things were so familiar and natural with Harry that it was a little jarring every time he realized he’d overstepped. 

“I’m sorry, I should have asked,” Louis said sheepishly and pulled back. 

“Noooo, that felt good,” Harry whined and it shouldn’t have been as cute as it was. 

Louis grinned when Harry wiggled further down to rest his head back against one of the throw pillows and propped his feet up on Louis’ thigh. 

“I hope I’m not interrupting your day,” Harry said once Louis was really digging into the arch of his foot. “I didn’t even ask if I was keeping you from anything.” 

Louis shrugged one shoulder and kept his eyes down on his task. 

“Might get some writing done at some point, I don’t have any deadlines looming or anything.” 

“Writing? I saw you had some writing credits on Niall Horan’s latest album. I won’t lie about it, I downloaded them and they were really good!”

“Yeah, he spent a lot of time in LA while he was putting that album together. He came over a handful of times and worked on some ideas I had scribbled down.” 

“I promise I wasn’t being creepy by Googling you. I was just curious about your music and saw all your writing credits on Wikipedia. Do you mostly write for other artists now?” 

“Yeah, when the guys suggested we go on hiatus, they already had things they wanted to do with their careers and I just… didn’t. I just wanted to take it easy for a while and ended up spending a lot of time writing. There were some songs I thought had potential and I didn’t want them to go to waste so I started shopping them around and got some bites. It’s nothing I take too serious, really. I get to decide whether I want to take on a project or not and the rest is just kind of random. I just heard that some band in Sweden picked up one of my tracks so that should be interesting.” 

Harry let out a small snort and Louis couldn’t help but grin back. It  _ was _ pretty random. 

“Why don’t you record any of them for yourself? It seems like there are still a lot of Louis Tomlinson fans out there that would love an album from you.” 

Louis shifted uncomfortably and stared at the faded black ink tattooed across Harry’s ankles. It wasn’t like that option hadn’t been offered. Several labels had approached him about an album as recently as half a year ago, but it wasn’t just recording the songs. 

He swallowed hard against the choking feeling that was growing stronger. “I’m sure they would.” 

He could record the album in the studio right there in his own home, that wouldn’t be the problem. Then there would be photoshoots and meetings about album art, singles to choose and music videos to shoot. There would be promo, so much promo. Radio and tv interviews, performances, meet and greets. Tours to plan, ticket sales leading to bigger venues, shows every other night, cameras constantly in his face, hands reaching, screams swelling, crowds closing in— 

Fingers circled his wrists before he realized he was gasping for air and clawing at his throat. His chest was tight and his heart was racing, his body shook as he broke into a cold sweat. Someone was talking but he didn’t understand the language, couldn’t hear the words. 

There was a grounding presence touching his hand, spreading his palm out and anchoring it. It gave him a point to focus on until he recognized the vibrations against his palm as a voice and turned his eyes towards the source. A face came into view and he watched their pink, bowed lips until the words became clear. 

They were numbers. He was counting. Louis knew how to count, he’d been in this place before. 

He counted along in his head, matching the pace of the rise and fall under his hand. 

His eyes finally focused on Harry, his expression calm apart from the small crease of concern between his brows. 

“Do you have something you usually take?” Harry asked and Louis nodded. He usually got high. It was the only thing that calmed him down without the lingering side effects. He hated the side effects. 

Harry’s voice wrapped around him, warm and soothing and so calm. It made him want to close his eyes and slip away into it. 

“Louis, can you tell me where it is? I can go get it for you.”

His arm felt so heavy when he tried to lift it, his hand shaking as he tried to point towards the cupboard. Each breath hurt and his eyes were watering. He couldn’t remember how to speak, couldn’t get words to form which sent him into another spiral when the warmth of Harry’s body was suddenly gone and he was left all alone. 

He gasped for breath and was sure he was about to throw up when he felt Harry sit down at his side. 

“You’re safe, you’re home, it’s just the two of us,” Harry’s voice lulled. “...and the baby,” he added as an afterthought. He took Louis’ hand again and he watched Harry spread it out over the curve of his belly. 

Right. Just Harry and the baby. No surging crowds, no swell of screaming fans. 

He nodded. 

“Is this what you wanted?” Harry asked after a moment, flipping open the cigar box where he’d stashed the edibles Greg had brought over. It wasn’t his preferred method, but he didn’t want to smoke around Harry in his condition and he also didn’t want to get stoned either. He just needed to take the edge off, to calm his heart rate enough to pull himself together. He nodded again and let Harry tear open the wrapper of one of the lollipops. 

Harry just sat with him as he slowly came back to himself and battled the shame and embarrassment of having such an intense panic attack in front of Harry. 

“Does this happen a lot?” Harry asked when Louis could take a breath without gasping or having it hitch in his chest. 

“Not a  _ lot, _ ” Louis answered, feeling small, vulnerable and inadequate next to the omega. He knew he had issues, but it was worse in front of someone who hadn’t been around for the gradual transition, someone who didn’t know who he’d been before. 

“Want to talk about it?” 

Louis shook his head and spat out a  _ no _ like a petulant child. It was his default response to be bratty when someone forced him to face his issues. Harry didn’t deserve that. He sighed. 

“I don’t, but I don’t want you to think I’m crazy.” 

“I don’t think you’re crazy.” 

Harry’s voice was lazy and slow. It made Louis want to believe him. 

“I don’t really know how it happened. I used to love what I did. I loved getting up on stage in front of hundreds of people and always had to be the center of attention.” He appreciated that Harry didn’t try to cut him off, he just listened. He knew he wouldn’t finish if he didn’t just plow ahead, so he did. “And then when the boys wanted a break it seemed like the whole world was watching us, even more than before, and I just– I don’t know, I just didn’t know how to handle it and it was like that part of me just shut down. It’s all there but my brain sees it all in a different light now.” 

He closed his eyes and could see himself up on the stage, could see the pure joy and happiness on his face and could even feel the faint flicker of adrenaline that pumped through him just before he made his entrance on a stadium stage. But he wasn’t reliving it, he was watching it all while being swallowed up by the crowd, too far away to be reached, too far to be pulled out and saved. 

His lungs tightened and his stomached rolled. 

“Hey, no, don’t go back there,” Harry took his hand and linked their fingers together. Louis opened his eyes and looked up at the omega. “Stay here with me, you don’t have to explain.” 

Harry smiled softly and Louis was pleasantly surprised when he found no hint of pity in his eyes. 

“It really doesn’t happen a lot anymore. My life is usually pretty boring and uneventful.”

Harry rested their hands on top of his belly, his thumb stroking his skin in soothing motions. “Does it happen when you go out?”

Louis took in a deep breath and held it for a moment before slowly letting it out. “I don’t go out.” 

“Never?” 

It wasn’t exclaimed in shock, just a follow up question. Louis shook his head. 

“Not for a long time now.” 

Harry left it at that, somehow sensing that Louis just needed to not think for a while. He suggested a movie and they ended up watching a marathon of Thor movies until Harry almost pissed himself laughing at Louis’ impressions. 

By the time the sun had set, Louis had all but forgotten his latest attack. 

  
  
  


Harry had already gone up to bed when Louis finished looking through his emails and made his rounds to make sure all the lights on the main floor were switched off for the night. It felt nice to have another presence in the house but something felt off when he made his way up the stairs towards his bedroom. 

Pausing in the hallway, he looked towards the guestroom Harry was staying in and frowned when he heard what sounded like a small sob from behind the door. He didn’t want to intrude, but his alpha tugged him closer to check on the omega, to check on his baby. 

He leaned in so his ear was nearly pressed against the wood and heard it again, a small sob followed by sniffle. Without hesitation, he lifted his fist and knocked softly with his knuckle. 

“Harry? Is everything okay?” 

He heard shuffling on the other side and then the sound of him blowing his nose. Louis turned the doorknob but only cracked the door enough to speak through. 

“Are you alright? Can I come in?” 

“Yeah, I’m okay,” Harry answered and Louis pushed the door open just a little more to peek in. He was leaned back against the pillows, belly round under the blanket. 

“You don’t sound like it.” 

Harry let out a wet laugh through his tears and wiped under his eyes. 

“It’s stupid,” he rolled his eyes and shook his head. 

“It’s not if you’re crying over it.” 

Louis was drawn to him, sitting down on the edge of the bed where Harry had the covers pulled up to his chest. He was naked underneath, at least his chest was, and his puffy nipples and swelling breasts made an appearance each time he shifted. Louis had to pry his eyes away. 

“It’s just all these hormones. They make me cry about anything,” Harry laughed and shook his head. 

“Tell me about it. What made you cry?” Louis leaned over to grab another tissue from the night table, offering it to Harry who took it thankfully. 

“It’s stupid,” Harry waved him off. 

“Try me.” 

Harry shook his head again and Louis thought he could see a blush climbing his cheeks. A burst of Harry’s scent brightened the room and he shifted on the bed and tried not to get lost in it. 

“It’s just that I always get really horny when I’m pregnant but I can’t really, um, reach very easily at this point and I realized I didn’t throw my vibrator into my bag.” 

Louis snorted out a laugh as Harry’s neck flushed along with his face. 

“I can’t help it!” Harry whined in defense and pouted. 

“You didn’t have to cry over it,” Louis smirked, “Could have just asked. I’m sure I have something that would work.” 

“Oh, I  _ know _ you do.”

Louis paused and raised an arched brow. He hadn’t meant it like that– he had more than a few toys with vibration in his tote of sin – but he definitely wasn’t opposed to the idea of using his own toy if Harry was suggesting it. His daily fantasies made him want it every day the more Harry’s belly grew. 

“I’m sorry, that was inappropriate,” Harry covered his face with his hand and sighed. “It’s the hormones talking.” 

“I mean, we’ve already had sex,” Louis shrugged, “I could help you out if you wanted me to.” 

Harry peered out from between his fingers and then pulled his hand away. “Really?” 

Another burst of scent hit Louis’ senses and he openly scented the air while Harry watched him with dark eyes. 

“Yeah, sure. Let me help get you off.” 

He playfully gave the blanket a little tug that exposed Harry’s bare chest. His body was clearly preparing for a baby, his female characteristics becoming more prominent, especially without clothing to mask them. Harry caught him looking and moved his hands up to cup his small breasts, sliding his thumbs over his hard nipples. 

“They’re really sore and sensitive,” Harry said, his voice softer than it was before. He was delicate as he touched his own body, biting his plush bottom lip between his teeth to complete the sinful image. Louis didn’t even think he was trying to be seductive, it was just how he was. 

Louis tugged the blanket down further so Harry’s belly was fully exposed and slowly inched closer. 

He’d been lusting over getting his lips on Harry’s baby bump nearly every day since he’d started to show, that first picture sparking it all. His skin was stretched tight but still soft with the perfect amount of give beneath his lips when he pressed the first kiss just under his navel. There was a faint vertical line just a hint darker than the rest of his skin that ran down along the underside of the curve and Louis followed it lazily with his lips. 

He could smell Harry’s arousal on him and it became more potent as Louis’ nose approached his hips. It was like his brand was tailored to Louis, just a bit different than it had been during his heat. It was a mixture of them. It had Louis hard in his track pants. 

Glancing up for Harry’s permission, he pulled the covers down and took in the sight of the fully naked omega carrying his baby. It was the hottest thing Louis had ever seen in his life and he was sure he sucked in a small gasp. 

Harry’s laurels perfectly cradled his belly and the butterfly neatly sat on top. Louis couldn’t hold himself back from kissing along each black line and Harry’s moans spurred him on. 

When the path of his lips reached Harry’s cock, he pulled back with a small frown. It wasn’t hard, instead small and limp just under his belly showing no signs of interest at all. He knew Harry loved being pregnant, but became embarrassed that maybe he’d misread the situation and the omega didn’t enjoy it in the sexual way Louis clearly was. It was confusing with the amount of arousal in the air without the physical indications he expected. 

“Did you want me to stop?” Louis asked, creases forming between his eyebrows in confused concern. 

Harry looked on the edge of begging Louis which also didn’t quite make sense. “No? Why?” 

“You’re not hard.” 

Harry peered down over his belly like he might find something unexpected but clearly couldn’t with the obstruction. 

“I usually don’t when I’m pregnant,” he shrugged it off and relaxed back into the pillows propping him up. “It’s the increase in estrogen and pregnancy hormones probably. Shrinks up a bit, too.” 

Louis stared down at it, much smaller than when he’d seen it hard. The illusion of his size with smoothly shaven skin when he’d been on his heat was also no longer a factor. Louis didn’t know if Harry had done that just for him or if the pregnancy made it harder to maintain, but hair had grown back in around it. It was surprisingly soft when Louis reached out to touch it, silky unlike his own that was more coarse and wiry. 

He took Harry’s small dick between his fingers and stroked it a few times, glancing up to gauge his reaction. Harry had drawn in a breath and closed his eyes. 

“Does it still feel good?” 

Harry nodded, which was all the encouragement Louis needed. It looked like it would feel perfect resting on his tongue so he leaned down and gently sucked him into his mouth. With a load moan, Harry squirmed beneath him and his thighs fell open further to give Louis more room. He went in eagerly, the scent of his arousal even stronger with his gathering slick. 

Louis’ fingers sought out the source, two sliding in easily and curving to find his spot. Harry swore above him and his dick chubbed up just a bit against Louis’ tongue. 

“Knot me, please Louis, will you knot me?” Harry was breathless and writhing, unable to hold himself still under the pleasurable assault. 

“Is that safe?” came out of Louis’ mouth before he thought it through. Of course it was safe. It was natural. It was an outdated biological urge that came with pregnancy, one to ward off other alphas from harming potential offspring and reclaiming an omega for themselves. It was usually encouraged for a healthy pregnancy unless there were other complications.

“Yes, please!” Harry moaned in anticipation. His hands were spread over his belly, holding it possessively. “Never had a knot when I’ve been pregnant, I’ve wanted it so bad.” 

“Never?” Louis asked while he worked himself out of his clothes. 

Harry shook his head. “Almost impossible to find an alpha willing to knot an omega pregnant with another alpha’s baby, especially one to just hook up with. I have an O friend who has come over a few times when I was desperate. He’s married to a beta and she likes to watch, but none of it is ever satisfying enough, not like a knot would be. Fuck, I want your knot so bad.” 

Harry was squirming on the bed, rubbing his thighs together for some stimulation and pulling at his engorged nipples. Louis was more than ready to give him what his body was craving, hard and straining as he crawled back between Harry’s legs. 

He leaned over to meet Harry’s mouth, needing the intimacy of more than just a fuck. Even if that’s what it was to Harry, just a way to get off, Louis had been building up his fantasy for too many weeks. The tip of his dick dragged across Harry’s round belly, a trail of precome left in its wake. He lowered himself just enough for his dick to be trapped between them until their kiss became so heated he could feel the base of his dick swell with the hint of his knot. 

Harry had soaked the sheets beneath him with his slick by the time Louis slid inside, both of them moaning with the first push. Louis had to curve himself to even lean forward over Harry’s belly while he was inside, his stomach pressed up against it. 

It was his baby in there and he couldn’t help wondering if his desire and need to knot Harry was stronger without his mark on Harry’s neck. He fucked into Harry with purpose, his alpha taking over to stake his claim. Harry was begging beneath him, clinging and needy and not unlike he’d been during his heat. His knot was fast to swell, Harry’s body quick to clench around him. 

It felt so good to be releasing inside his omega, his alpha so satisfied to finally get what he wanted. He didn’t even pause to overthink his lack of claim on the omega in the moment, purely the logistics of their position making it impossible for him to bite. 

“Oh my god, I feel so amazing,” Harry drawled out when they’d settled, running his fingers through his own hair. 

Louis sat back on haunches with Harry’s hips cradled up against his thighs to keep their tie from pulling. It gave Louis a perfect view of his belly that he reached out to touch.

“I thought my pregnancy books were overexaggerating in the chapters about sex and knotting. I guess they weren’t,” Harry shook his head with a small laugh, his hands coming to join Louis’ on his belly. 

“What do the books say about it?” 

“Biologically, the transfer of pheromones for relaxation, obviously. Good for mood and stress and all that stuff which also transfers to the baby. But I feel it in my hips too,” Harry wiggles his hips against their tie just enough to make them both moan, “They said an alpha’s knot expands differently in pregnancy to help prepare for birth and I didn’t really believe it would make that much of a difference… but I can feel it. Whatever your knot is hitting? It’s easing all the pressure I’ve been feeling in my hips.” 

Harry reached over and grabbed his phone, searching for something before turning the screen to face Louis. It was a diagram of a knot inside a pregnant omega, pressure points highlighted around it. 

He read the caption underneath outloud. “While an alpha’s knot expands for added length and duration to increase the odds for conception, it expands for width when pregnancy is detected to prepare an omega’s body for birth.” 

He squinted for a closer look at the diagram and then down to where their bodies were connected. His knot didn’t feel different other than being inside Harry rather than his usual methods. 

“I don’t think I can tell,” Louis said as he handed the phone back. 

“Holy shit, I can,” Harry said and then giggled. “Unless I’m just that full of baby, I can feel so much pressure but it feels so good. I guess usually when I’ve been knotted, I feel like if I really wanted to break a tie, I could? It would be painful to pull away, but I could do it. But right now? It barely shifts when I move.” 

Harry wiggled his hips for emphasis and Louis could feel the tug, the connection that was more secure. 

Louis touched the place they were connected with his thumb, sliding it back and forth through the slick. “Wow.” 

It took a while for his knot to deflate enough to ease out and, by then, Harry was nearly asleep. Louis cleaned him up with a warm cloth from the bathroom and then tucked him in before heading towards his own room. He bypassed the shower and collapsed onto the bed with Harry’s scent still clinging to him. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew that savoring Harry’s scent went far beyond the excuses he’d been telling himself. 

He was just helping his surrogate get off, nothing wrong with a mutual exchange of orgasms. Harry had been crying, after all. What else was he supposed to do? 

He repeated that to himself as he drifted off, thoughts of Harry’s beautiful, naked body lingering behind his eyes. 


	6. Chapter 6

  
  


“So I’ve been thinking about your offer,” Harry said, once again sleep rumpled at the opposite end of Louis’ couch. He’d told Louis that he usually took weekends off, his managers more than capable of running the store and center without him constantly looking over their shoulders. He always took some time off both before and after birth so his body could prepare and recover without worrying and his staff knew how to handle everything while he was away. 

“Yeah?” Louis looked up from his laptop and smiled at his messy hair and the Spice Girls tshirt that probably fit him perfectly on a normal day but now came up short where it was stretched over his belly. It was endearing that he wore his old shirts to bed instead of buying maternity pajamas – or at least that’s what he was wearing around Louis’ house. Louis had only ever truly seen him in bed naked. 

“Yeah. And I have a counter offer. Or maybe not a counter offer, more so an amendment, an addition.” 

Harry pulled on his bottom lip with his thumb and finger, his elbow resting on top of his belly as he slouched. 

Louis leaned forward to set his laptop on the coffee table and turned to face his full attention towards the omega. “Okay, what is it?” 

“First, were you serious about it? We can forget it all if you’ve changed your mind or you just said it in the spur of the moment.” 

Harry watched him with his lip loosely pinched between his fingers again. 

“Yeah, of course I was,” Louis nodded. Just a few days in and the house already felt more comfortable with Harry’s scent and presence. He hadn’t allowed him to think of Harry leaving, but found that he really didn’t want him to. Greg was not only his PA, they’d developed a close friendship over the years, but Louis still had to kick him out when he just needed to be in the house alone. He didn’t feel that with Harry. Having him around wasn’t irritating at all. Louis hadn’t felt so settled, so at peace, for a long time – maybe ever. 

“I—” Harry started and then looked down and studied the stretched and fading print of his shirt for a few seconds. His eyes were deep and soulful when he looked up. “I know how this is supposed to go. I’ve done it before without a second thought and I know we’ve crossed a lot of lines, even with how we started this.” He paused to take a breath and then blew it out slowly. “My body takes to being pregnant really well, I’m good at it. I’ve never had any complications or problems outside of the expected. I don’t think I let myself believe how much an alpha’s presence could influence a pregnancy, but even in just a few days and, um, just one knotting – I can tell.” 

Louis watched Harry’s hands rub over his belly and met his shy smile with one of his own. 

“So, what I’m getting at is, if you’re up for it, would you be interested in continuining to have sex until the baby is born?”

Louis’ mouth went dry and his tongue felt thick when he tried to speak. “You want to keep having sex?” 

“Only if you want to,” Harry said quickly, “I’m going to be getting myself off anyway, so thought if I was over here, you could join?”

“Did it really help that much?” He knew his voice sounded higher than it normally was, he just hadn’t expected that to be Harry’s addition to the arrangement. 

“Yeah, actually. I’ve always been really independent and all my pregnancies have been so easy that I brushed off a lot of the things in the books as misogyny, as alpha doctors exaggerating the alpha’s importance, but I really can tell a difference. The baby’s been really active and there was a lot of pressure in my hips and lower back that feels a lot better after we did that.” 

Louis’ eyes dropped to stare at Harry’s belly, hyperfocused on one sentence of Harry’s speech. “You can feel the baby?” 

“Yeah,” a fond smile spread over his face, his hands pausing just beneath his belly button. “Not from the outside yet, but they’ve been swimming around like crazy in there.” 

“Wow.” Louis leaned closer and his hand joined Harry’s, not even pausing to ask permission anymore. 

“I love when I can finally feel them,” Harry said softer, “Makes it real, reminds me that I'm growing a little life in there.” 

Louis slid his fingers beneath the tight shirt and pushed it up over the curve to expose Harry’s soft skin and held his belly gently with both hands. 

He snapped his eyes up when Harry started to moan and then cut it off, cheeks dusted pink and pupils blown. He looked fucked out and it hadn’t been more than seconds since Louis eyes had last been on his face. 

“Sorry,” Harry swallowed and took in a slow, deep breath, “That just– it just really turns me on to watch you do that.” 

“Do what?” he prompted curiously. 

“Touch me like that, look at me like that– like you’re in awe of it, like you love it as much as me.” 

“Maybe more,” Louis breathed out, palms making small circles. 

“Fuck,” Harry whimpered, “Being pregnant gets me so hot.”

“Yeah?” Louis’ pulse was racing, blood pumping through his body with a single destination south of his heart. “Is that why you like it so much? You like being bred full of my baby?” 

Louis was only vaguely aware of the alpha edge his voice had taken on, Harry’s needy whines taking up most of his headspace. The thin flannel pajama bottoms were already soaked through with slick when Louis’ fingers moved between Harry’s legs. 

“Gets you wet just thinking about it, doesn’t it?” He slipped his hand through the slit at the front, giving his soft omega cock a few pulls before bypassing it altogether. “That’s what you missed with the other ones, right? Why you kept feeling the urge to do it again?” 

The filter Louis had between his brain and his mouth was only partially intact at any particular moment and completely dysfunctional in his heightened arousal. It sounded like degrading alpha talk from porn if heard out of context, but it was perfectly tailored to what had brought them to this state in the first place. 

“You wanted to feel it happen, didn’t you?” Harry cried out as two of Louis’ fingers slid easily into him through the mess of slick. Louis’ hand was covered in it. “That’s why you asked me to do it, why you came here for your heat. You wanted to be bred by an alpha, wanted to be full on my knot.” 

Harry had one hand on his belly and the grip of the other on Louis’ shoulder as he came, muscles clenching tightly around Louis’ fingers before spasming in pulses as he rode it out. 

“Holy shit,” Harry mumbled breathlessly after Louis pulled his fingers free and wiped them on the leg of Harry’s pants. They needed washed, anyway. 

“That does it for you, huh?” Louis smirked, his own erection not giving him any room to judge. 

“Help me up,” Harry held out his hand. 

Louis took hold and easily helped pull Harry up and off the couch to stand. The slick soaked pants fell to the floor and the Spice Girls shirt was flung across the room to leave Harry standing naked in front of him. He pushed Louis down onto the couch with a steady hand, yanking Louis’ track pants down his legs. 

It took some careful maneuvering for Harry to straddle Louis’ hips, but he settled there comfortably once he did. “Of course it does it for me, thought that was obvious.” 

Harry held onto the back of the couch to lift onto his knees and then slowly sank down where Louis held his dick steady between them. His head was thrown back as he groaned, carefully lowering himself until he was fully seated, the weight of his body driving Louis in deep. It was similar to how Harry had taken control the first time they’d done this. It was the same room, the same couch, the same bodies, but everything felt different. Louis wasn’t anxious about it anymore and it was purely because they wanted to, not for a purpose. 

“I keep telling you I love being pregnant.” Louis just laid back while Harry made a show of rubbing his hands over his belly. The sight made Louis’ hips punch up into him. “It turns me on. I get horny every time I even catch sight of myself in a mirror like this. I have to get myself off in my office sometimes.”

“So you do this for your fetish?” 

“I do it for a lot of reasons,” Harry gazed down at him through hooded eyes, “That’s just the selfish part of it.”

Louis couldn’t complain. It had awakened a new desire in him as well, one that he could explore without feeling like a stereotypical knothead. It was different when it was mutual, when it was prompted by Harry. 

Hot, tight, and wet around him, Louis would normally feel desperate to get off after being so worked up. Instead, he was content to watch and feel Harry circle his hips slowly. The omega’s eyes kept slipping shut and his own hands moved over his body as if he were alone. Louis had never witnessed anything as sexy and sensual in his life. He wished he had a camera to record it for later, to watch it back the next time he needed some visual stimulation. 

“You feel so good,” Harry moaned, gasping when something must have felt just right and repeating the motion again. Louis didn’t even mind being used, it was just as good for him too. 

Harry came again before Louis finally knotted, Harry’s third triggered by the swell. As before, Harry’s little cock remained unresponsive, pressed between them whenever Harry leaned forward. It was more attractive to Louis every time he saw it, fingers drawn to touch and mouth pulled to suck. 

“I was reading stuff online last night,” Harry said where he was still seated, comfortable while they were tied. “About pregnancy knotting. There is a lot of research about sexually active omegas having easier deliveries. Statistically, beta couples have the highest C-section rates and mated AO couples have the lowest.”

“Really? I guess it makes sense. I’ve just never thought about it.” 

“Maybe I didn’t either since I didn’t have an alpha around. It didn’t say much about Olos, but I imagine they’re about the same as betas.” 

“Are you Olo?” Louis asked. They’d had a lot of sex and Harry obviously had an impregnantion fetish, but that didn’t necessarily mean anything. He’d called upon his omega friend to help him out before. 

“I’ve dabbled,” Harry shrugged, rocking on Louis’ knot in slow, smooth movements. “Not completely, though. I’ve had beta relationships before, too. I think it depends on the person for me. I love a good knot, but I could live without it if I fell in love with someone who didn’t have one. Definitely gay, though.” 

Harry smirked after his last comment, and squeezed around their tie making them both moan. 

“What about you?” 

“It’s been mostly female Os for me,” Louis confessed, “Back in the band there were some interesting experiences, but nothing I would probably seek out again.”

Harry’s expression shifted to the one Louis had seen before, the one that was hard to read. “Looking for a wife, then?”

“Not looking for anyone,” he responded softly. 

The shift in mood deflated his knot much sooner than usual. He helped Harry up and grabbed the dirty flannel pants to wipe himself off as Harry headed off for the shower. 

  
  
  


“I need you to do me a favour tomorrow,” Louis said as he sat across the kitchen table from Greg who was sorting out his bills. 

“I just did you a favour this morning when you swore you’d wither away and die if I didn’t go miles out of my way to pick up two dozen Krispy Kreme donuts,” he answered without looking up from the papers. 

“That was different. This is serious,” Louis frowned, “Plus, who also got to enjoy those deliciously glazed rings of glorious sugar and fat?”

“You should work for the food industry writing their product descriptions. That made me want to go buy out the shop.” 

“Shut up, I mean it.” 

Greg stopped shuffling through the next pile of envelopes and looked up. 

“Is your family flying in? I could hire a van to go pick them up.” 

“No, nothing like that.” 

Louis wasn’t sure why it was suddenly so difficult for him to spit it out. Greg had been with him through the most embarrassing and difficult moments of his life. Greg had been the one to go up the register to pay for the jeans he’d ruined in the dressing room and then sneaked him out after a nasty and sudden attack of food poisoning at some high fashion place in France. Greg had taken one for the team and called down to have condoms delivered to his room when they were in Vegas so Louis wouldn’t end up the subject of some distasteful headline about drugs, sex, and rock n roll. Through all his panic attacks, all the paparazzi nightmares, the downward spiral of his anxiety that led him to this point – Louis wasn’t sure why this was the thing that caused him to pause. It should have been easy. 

“I need you to help a friend with some things,” he said finally and watched as Greg raised his brows while he waited for Louis to elaborate. “It won’t be much, just a couple suitcases.”

“So I  _ am _ going to the airport then?” 

“No, his apartment.” Louis drew in a long breath and then let it out slowly. He just needed to spit it out. Greg was going to judge him whether he asked now or beat around the bush. “My surrogate is coming to stay with me for a while and I need you to go help him load up his luggage and bring it here.” 

“Your surrogate.” Greg said. It wasn’t a question. Louis nodded. “Is coming to stay here. Are you sure that’s a good idea?” 

“It’s already been decided. And before you say anything, he’s not taking advantage of me, I was the one to make the offer. He’s actually already been staying here since the air went out at his condo.”

His chest felt tight under Greg’s concerned gaze, his stomach churning as he could practically see all of the thoughts scrolling across his eyes. 

“I just don’t know if that’s a healthy choice for you right now,” Greg said hesitantly as he set the stack of bills down on the table. 

“I didn’t hire you for opinions on my personal life,” Louis snapped and slouched back in the chair with his arms across his chest. He hated the way he defaulted to childish postures every time he was trying to prove himself to be the exact opposite. He focused his eyes on the rain rolling down the tall windows facing the flower garden, the ones Harry loved to look out while he was eating his breakfast. His presence already felt routine, felt  _ normal _ in the house. Greg was his best friend, had worked with him for years, and still felt like a visitor. 

Greg let out a heavy sigh and shook his head. “I’m just trying to look out for you, you know that.” 

Louis closed his eyes and focused on steadying each breath. Of course he knew that. Greg was always looking out for him. But Greg was also able to go home to his wife and his family and his social life and his hobbies and a world Louis didn’t have access to anymore. All Louis had was his games and guitars and the scenery of his backyard through the glass of his cage. 

“Just let me have this,” he pleaded softly. 

Greg watched him for a minute that stretched into eternity before he reluctantly nodded. It wasn’t the last he would hear about it, Louis could tell, but at least he was dropping the argument for now. 

“Will you at least let me run a background check on him so I know he’s not going to rob you blind?” 

Louis rolled his eyes and then laughed. “You better run a background check on yourself then because you’re the only thief I know! If I can’t even get you to pick up my donuts without begging, what the hell am I paying you for??” 

Greg rolled his eyes with a laugh and went back to looking through the bills. 

“Tell me what time and where he lives. I’ll go play bellhop to your omega.” 

His omega. Louis’ liked the sound of that. His  _ alpha _ liked the sound of that. Harry wasn’t his omega, obviously he wasn’t, but he could pretend while they played house for a few months. It was the closest he would ever get to bonding so he might as well enjoy it. He smiled at the thought. 

The next day, Greg dutifully carried in all three of Harry’s large suitcases and that was that. Louis was the one to drag each of them up the stairs and together, the three of them ordered pizza and flipped through the channels while they complained about nothing good ever being on. 

Even though Louis caught Greg’s eyes linger on Harry’s belly frequently throughout the evening, he never commented on it and Louis was thankful. Harry was just doing what he was being paid to do and didn’t deserve to get caught up in the crossfire of his concerned and opinionated friend judging Louis’ choices. 

Later, they knotted on the couch with the TV still on in the background while Harry complained about the gas bubbles the pepperoni had caused that were moving painfully through his system and Louis taking the opportunity to point out that he’d warned him of exactly that when the pizza had arrived. It was too domestic for their arrangement and neither one of them seemed to care. 


	7. Chapter 7

  
  


The sun was just dipping below the horizon when Harry came home from the store. Louis wasn’t normally into health foods, but Harry prepared things with enough flavoring that it didn’t all taste like grass or cardboard. He balanced it out with a can of Dr. Pepper. 

“My first full ultrasound is tomorrow if you want to go,” Harry said through a bite and a gesture of his fork. 

Louis pretended he wasn’t paying attention, but he wasn’t a very good actor when caught off guard and nothing about his food was that interesting. He could tell a scowl had formed on his face and the stab of his fork grew more violent. 

Harry’s words were noticeably more timid when he continued. “It’s the appointment where they might be able to see the baby’s primary gender.”

Louis fork went right through the paper takeout container Harry had brought their food home in after preparing it at the store. Harry was visibly startled and his fork clattered down onto the surface of the table. 

His anger was out of line, Louis knew that, yet couldn’t hold back the surge that swelled up and exploded out of him. It was the first time since he’d stopped leaving the house that there was something so important to him on the outside, something he so badly wanted to attend. It wasn’t fair that Niall and Liam were perfectly fine while he struggled to cope with the same experiences. That he was living on house arrest while the whole world passed him by. It wasn’t fair that they were out there living it up while he couldn’t even leave the house for something that meant so much to him, the first ultrasound of his first child, a moment that could never be replicated. 

He stood up from the table so fast that his chair toppled backwards and crashed onto the tiled floor. Running was the only way he knew how to handle it. 

He stomped around the table to leave the room, only pausing when he heard a soft mumbled  _ sorry _ from behind him. 

Harry was crying. He could hear the change in breathing and the wet sniffles. He could feel the change in the air. He could  _ scent _ it. 

“Fuck,” he growled and shook his anger out of his hands as he spun around and went back. It wasn’t anger anymore. It was a vice tightening around his chest and the nausea of guilt crawling up the back of his throat. 

He righted the chair and pulled it close to Harry. 

“I’m sorry, it’s not you,” Louis looked down at his own hands in his lap. 

“That’s fine, we hadn’t talked about it. I never asked if you wanted to find out the gender.” Harry sniffed and wiped at his eyes. 

“No,” Louis sighed and took Harry’s hand. “I’m just angry because I want to be there. You didn’t do anything.” 

Harry sniffed and used the back of his hand to wipe away his tears, chancing a glance at Louis before straightening up in his seat. 

“The hormones,” he gestured with his hand to indicate it wasn’t a big deal, “It’s the hormones making me cry so easily. It wasn’t that bad.” 

It wasn’t okay for him to cause such a scene. It wasn’t Harry’s fault he was the way he was, that he couldn’t even force himself out of the house for his baby. 

“You’ve never brought it up so I didn’t know if you wanted to know the gender. I thought I’d offer in case you did.” 

Louis had tears in his eyes now too, angry tears. He swiped them away before they could make it down his cheeks. 

“I do,” he said quickly, “I do want to know. I just– I can’t go.” 

He wanted to break something. He wanted to throw plates and glasses at the wall and release everything into the destruction. He wanted to hear the crash of window panes shattering as he swung a bat. He wanted to kick and scream and throw a tantrum until his head pounded with it. 

He did none of those things. 

He swallowed down the bile that had risen at the back of his throat, embraced the ache in his chest that came with each breath, and clenched his trembling hands into fists. He pushed it all down. 

“I could FaceTime you so you won’t miss anything?” Harry suggested in a meek omega voice Louis had never heard from him before. He didn’t like how it made him feel to be the cause of it. It wasn’t the same as bringing his alpha out in the heat of sex, this was real life and it had been an unconscious action on his part to flash such anger and aggression. Harry wasn’t even his O. 

He let out a breath and forced his voice to be as soothing as possible. Stress wasn’t good for the baby, especially caused by him. “I’d really appreciate that, thanks.” 

Even though Harry continued to offer invitations to things involving the baby, he never pushed for Louis to justify his reasons for not going. He was far more accommodating that Louis deserved and he felt like shit for being the cause of his tears. 

“I’m really sorry,” Louis said again, slowly gaining control of himself. “I’m mad at myself, not you. Never you.” 

The tip of Harry’s nose grew red when he cried and it was something to focus on while he centered himself. Louis found it very cute, as were his sniffles. 

“Do you want a boy or a girl?” Harry steered the conversation away from anger and apologies. 

“I’ve made the nursery neutral, so it doesn’t matter,” Louis shrugged and, even if he’d painted the nursery pink, he wouldn’t have changed it if the baby was a boy. As an alpha child who loved purple, Louis had never understood why colours mattered. 

“You have a nursery?” Harry’s watery eyes brightened as he sniffed. 

“Yeah, I’ve been working on it,” he nodded, thinking back to the first night Harry had slept over. He’d made the decision to keep it secret and safe, but so much had changed since then. Harry had all but moved in, they shared meals and free time together, and they were having sex at least once a day. It seemed weird not to share it after everything. “Would you like to see it?” 

Harry nodded and rubbed his hands over his belly after Louis helped him up. 

“It’s not finished yet,” Louis warned on their way up the stairs to the second level. He’d only been working on it on the days that Harry went into the store which was only a few days a week. He hoped he’d already painted over all the dicks he’d drawn while he was doing the basecoat. He didn’t need Harry thinking he was that immature, even if he was. 

He took a moment once they reached the door before pushing it open. Harry would be the first pair of eyes beyond his own to see it. Not even Greg had been allowed up here yet. 

“Louis! Wow!” Harry gasped in awe, new tears gathering and spilling over his lashes. 

Louis didn’t think it was much. The stenciled animals weren’t all straight or perfect and the pile of letters were still stacked until he had a name to paint above the crib. He was still proud of his work, though, even if it was nowhere near professional. 

“You did all this yourself?” Harry asked as he looked around, moving closer and walking along each wall to inspect each design. 

“Yeah but don’t worry, I know I shouldn’t quit the day job,” he joked weakly. 

Harry ran his finger along the lines and turned to smile. “No, it’s perfect!”

Louis had already put together the white sleigh style crib and changing table though they weren’t yet placed, sitting together away from the wall next to the rocking chair so he had room to work. 

Dragging his fingertips along the smooth edge of the crib and then the rocking chair, Harry sat down with his hands on his belly as if to take it all in. 

“You’re going to be a great daddy, Louis,” Harry said sincerely, looking up at him with a watery smile. It was the first time anyone had said that to him and it made his heart skip in surprise. Harry was the only one being supportive and it meant even more coming from the omega actually carrying his child. 

Louis was well aware of the stigma that came with being a single alpha parent. Times were changing, but it was still a natural reaction for people to be leary. Social dynamics and gender roles throughout history were cause for valid concern when it came to single alpha parenting. It was still a relatively fresh practice to raise all genders as equals and it gave Louis such a boost of confidence that Harry appeared to have no concern about leaving the baby alone with him, an alpha. 

“Thank you,” he answered softly and wondered if he would feel differently if Greg or even Niall had been excited when he’d broken the news. Maybe he wouldn’t have grown so close to his surrogate, to Harry. 

Louis sat down on the floor against the wall and Harry rocked, both of them lost in thought until the audible growl of Harry’s stomach made them both laugh. 

“I guess I kind of interrupted your supper, didn’t I,” Louis said before getting up and offering his hands out to Harry who was having a harder time getting up on his own as he grew. 

“That’s okay. It was a nice break.” 

Harry smiled and they went back to the kitchen, finishing their food with a new sense of peace between them. 

The next day, as promised, Harry FaceTimed him from the exam room even though having phones out was technically against their privacy rules. Harry pouted into the camera when they couldn’t get a good look with the baby’s position and then cheered when they were finally able to get a peek right at the end. 

Harry rushed straight home with the printed images so they could celebrate Louis’ little baby boy together. 

  
  
  
  


Louis was in his studio trying to teach himself a new chord progression when the soundproof door was suddenly flung open and a swirl of agitated alpha blew in with the newcomer. Louis’ heart hammered in surprise and then started to settle with recognition. 

“Liam? What are you doing here?” 

Liam paced back and forth a few times, the same way Louis had seen him after their management had told him to “accidentally” flash his knot on social media before their next single dropped. Liam was furious. 

“I didn’t want to believe it when Niall told me, thought he was just falling for one of your over the top prank. I thought the same thing when you told me, but Louis.” Liam turned and stopped pacing, his angry glare directed solely on him. “What the fuck are you doing??”

“Um…” Louis glanced around the studio and then down at his guitar, “What does it look like I’m doing?” 

“Not that, asshole. The fucking pregnant omega you have upstairs! The  _ unbonded _ pregnant omega you have upstairs!”

“What of it?” Louis answered casually and went back to strumming even though his nerves were causing his fingers tremble. Liam was like a brother to him. An older brother even if Louis was technically older in age. Liam had always been the level headed one in the group, the one to call Louis on his bullshit. Liam wasn’t the one to sugarcoat his opinions or beat around the bush, that was Niall’s role. Niall was almost always the neutral one in the middle. Louis really wished Niall was between them now. 

“What of it?? You paid some random omega to have your baby and you just let them into your house??” 

“Not random, he’s a professional,” Louis noted over Liam’s rant. 

“What the fuck are you thinking?? I know you’ve been going through some stuff, but this is fucked up, Louis. You don’t even have your own life under control and you go and buy a baby?” 

“I didn’t buy a baby,” Louis mumbles out petulantly, setting his guitar to the side so he could sit back and cross his arms over his chest. He didn’t buy a baby, he didn’t. He just— He just rented a womb to carry it. It was  _ different. _

“How are you going to take care of a baby? You can’t even take care of yourself!” Louis starts to protest but Liam holds out a hand to stop him. “No, you don’t.  _ Greg _ takes care of you. Are you going to make him take care of your kid, too??” 

“No, of course not. I know how to take care of a baby and the rest I’ll learn along the way like a normal new parent.” 

“So you’re going to go out shopping for diapers and bottles and clothes and baby food?” 

Louis shrugged. “Amazon Pantry, grocery delivery.” 

“And you’re going to take your kid in for their check ups? Their shots?” Louis opened his mouth but Liam cut him off again. “And when it’s the middle of the night and they have a high fever? When there’s an emergency and they need to be rushed to the ER??” 

“Call 9-1-1?” Louis answered weakly. 

“And then what? You’re going to send your newborn off in an ambulance without you? What the fuck, Tommo?? This is an actual living, breathing human being! It might be different if you were co-parenting or something, but this is fucking selfish as hell. I just came here to talk to you, to see if it was true, to talk you out of this, and then that random O answered the door, a  _ male _ O, looking about ready to give birth already and you can’t even stand outside in your own fucking yard!” 

“Sure I can,” Louis mumbled. He kept his eyes down at his bare feet because he knew it wasn’t true. Just that morning Harry had left the patio doors open while he went out to the pool and Louis had broken into a cold sweat despite the humid air rolling in the second he’d rounded the corner to see it. 

“Oh good! Let’s go out and have a smoke right now!” Louis didn’t move and he could feel Liam’s anger shift into something more judgmental. “Didn’t think so.” 

Louis pulled his legs up to his chest on the couch that had felt so comfortable just minutes before and hugged his arms around them. He felt so small, so inadequate, so worthless under Liam’s words. 

Liam sighed and rubbed his hand over his shaved head. When he spoke, his tone was resigned. “I can’t support this, Louis, I can’t. Does he know about your panic attacks?” 

Louis knew he was talking about Harry without looking up. He rests his forehead down on his knees. “He knows.” 

“When all of this gets out – and it will when that O opens his mouth about the mental ex-boybander who paid him to have his kid – I’m not going to ruin my own reputation by lying and defending your decision. I hope you come to your senses before the baby is born and place them with someone that isn’t incapacitated by even the thought of fresh air.”

Liam stormed out of the studio then and all Louis could think about was the camps of paps and reporters camped out on the other side of his fence, this time for an even juicier story. But Harry would never sell him out, right?

  
  
  


Louis wasn’t sure how long he’d been balled up on the couch in the same position Liam had left him in, but his bladder was screaming and all of his joints and muscles felt frozen into place. He felt the couch shift beneath him before he registered anyone entering the room, Harry’s scent calming the spike in anxiety that accompanied the movement. It would be like Liam to return after an outburst to lecture him again once he’d calmed down and he didn’t think he could handle it. 

“Hey.” 

He felt Harry’s warm hand touch his shoulder and slide down to his elbow. It melted the lock of his muscles and his arm slowly loosened its hold on his knees. He turned his head to the side and Harry slowly came into focus with that gentle, open expression Louis easily responded to. It felt like it should be a trick, a way to lure him in, but so far, it hadn’t been. 

“Who was the last client you did this for?” Louis asked softly. 

Harry watched him for a moment and then shook his head. “Louis, you know I can’t answer that.” 

“Why not? I won’t tell anyone, you can trust me.” 

“I trust you, but it’s not my secret to tell.” 

“What about the one before that? Who was that baby for?” 

Harry shook his head gently and reached out to brush Louis’ shaggy bangs back. It was a gesture that felt parental and intimate, not something an omega would do with an alpha they weren’t very close to. It didn’t bother Louis the way it should have. 

“I’m not going to tell anyone about you, either, if that’s what you’re worried about. The only difference in our contract after the baby is born, is that it was my own egg, so if you decide to tell him who the other half of their DNA is from, or if he somehow finds me after he turns eighteen, I would be honest with him. That’s the one and only scenario and I would never give the specifics, even then.” 

“You’d want him to find you?” Louis asked, no louder than a whisper. 

“He’s always been your baby,” Harry says, taking Louis hand and placing it on his belly. “Even before we made him, but genetically speaking, he’s half me and I couldn’t lie about something like that if he approached me.” 

“Not because you’d want him in your life?” 

Harry looked down at their hands on his belly for a long time before he answered, taking a deep breath in first. 

“Louis, I signed a contract knowing what I was doing, and in that contract, this baby is yours.” 

Harry offered him a smile that held a hint of sadness in his eyes but it was gone before Louis could analyze it or even be completely sure it had been there at all. 

“I heard what your friend said. Some of it, anyway. If any of this gets out, please know that it didn’t come from me, not just for you, but for myself as well. I value my own privacy even more than I respect yours.” 

Louis wanted to believe him, he  _ did _ believe him. There were so many things Harry already knew and nothing had turned up yet, not even an inkling. 

“I know,” Louis squeaked out, “Nobody thinks I should be doing this.” 

“So?  _ You _ think you should be doing this and that’s the only thing that matters.” 

“Do  _ you _ think I should be doing this?” Louis asked the omega, probably the worst question he could ask someone already carrying his child, but he still wanted to know the answer. 

“Being a parent is messy and complicated and I think you’ll be just fine. It doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks. Nobody goes through the process of finding a surrogate just for something to do and there will always be someone trying to talk you out of it because it’s never the right time to have a child no matter who you are. You just make it work. So yes, I think you should be doing this because you’re already doing this.”

Louis slowly straightened out his limbs, wincing as he unfolded himself. 

He made to the bathroom and then let Harry lead him upstairs in a zombie-like state. It was hard to hear such harsh things from someone he once considered a best friend. It was becoming obvious that he’d distanced himself from his bandmates so much that they didn’t know who he was anymore. He was just someone that they used to know but now didn’t understand. 

He wrapped himself up in his soft blankets on the couch – the ones that had been there during Harry’s heat – and let Harry turn something on TV. He stared at the screen but didn’t absorb anything, neither sight nor sound. 

When it grew late, Harry led him upstairs and followed him into his bedroom for the first time since the baby had been conceived. It was as if Harry thought of his bedroom as off limits until now when he could feel that Louis needed to be looked after. Louis wasn’t about to protest. 

He helped Louis change into some soft shorts and then pulled the covers back for him to crawl in. As Harry was about to pull away, Louis took hold of his wrist in a gentle grasp and looked up to meet his eyes. 

“Stay?” he asked softly, not wanting to be alone. 

There was only a moment of hesitation before Harry nodded once and joined Louis beneath the blankets. It took some shuffling before they found a position that was comfortable without Harry’s protruding stomach getting in the way. They ended up spooning with Louis plastered up against Harry’s back, his hand resting on his belly. 

“This okay?” Louis mumbled against Harry’s shoulder in the darkness. 

“More than,” Harry answered and it wasn’t long until they were both asleep. 


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry if it is a couple days before the next one. I am going out of town for a concert tomorrow and am not sure if I'll have time to post! but I'll be back soon!

  
  


Louis woke up hot and sweaty and from the middle of a very sexual dream. He moved his hips and the friction confirmed that yes, he was hard in real life as well. He rolled his hips again and then froze when it didn’t feel like the mattress against his morning wood and became disoriented when he wasn’t on his stomach either. Harry’s scent was strong where his nose was nuzzled and everything quickly came into focus. He’d asked Harry to stay with him last night. 

He could tell Harry was awake and slowly peeled himself away with a few sleepy mumbled apologies. 

“Don’t be. You know I’m usually up for it,” Harry glanced at him over his shoulder, his messy curls damp with sweat above his ear. 

“You’re like a furnace,” Louis grumbled and rubbed at his sleep blurred eyes. 

“I’m furnace-ing for two and your room is really warm,” Harry yawned and stretched out, “I can’t help it.” 

He pulled his shirt up and off before laying back on Louis’ pile of pillows. Louis loved how comfortable Harry was in his own body, unbothered by eyes on his flaws. Even though they were thin, there were stretch marks visible on the sides of his belly and hips and he never seemed ashamed of them. Louis admired how he owned it. 

“You’re staring at me,” Harry yawned, “Did you want me to get out of your bed or something? You can just tell me to roll myself off the bed.” 

Louis propped himself up on his elbow. “No, just like to look.” 

“Hope you like whale watching, feel like a beached one today.” 

“No you don’t,” Louis shook his head and moved closer to rest a hand on his belly. 

Harry smirked, “Don’t tell me how I feel. I definitely feel like one.” 

“You don’t look like one,” Louis dragged his fingertips over Harry’s belly, smiling when goosebumps rose over the surface, “I’m still hard just looking at you.” 

“Maybe you have a thing for whales,” Harry continued to grin at him, raising a brow. 

“Only if they’re pregnant and in my bed.” 

He leaned down and pressed a kiss to Harry’s stomach, his lips following a path up to his chest. With Harry’s body preparing for a baby, his breasts had continue to swell and now were quite heavy and round, so different from the flat chest and puffy nipples when they’d first been together. They were now engorged and begging to be sucked. Louis didn’t have a problem obliging. 

“Shit,” Harry cursed and threaded his fingers into Louis’ hair to urge him to keep going. Louis hadn’t given much attention to them since they were usually sore and tender for the expecting omega. Now he went at them gently, sucking his nipple into his mouth with a soft tongue. 

“Does breastfeeding turn you on too?” Louis asked when he pulled off to switch to the other. 

“Wouldn’t know, never done it.” 

He pulled Louis down to his other nipple, but Louis just gave it small kitten licks. 

“Never? Aren’t you supposed to after they’re born?” 

Harry shook his head and bit his lip, his eyes popping open to look down at Louis’ mouth. 

“They take them away right after. It’s not really part of the deal.” 

Louis could imagine Harry alone and full of milk just after giving birth to a baby that wasn’t his. He wondered if it felt like a baby passing away at birth, whether Harry mourned the same way when the baby was never put in his arms after carrying them for nine months. The image broke Louis’ heart. 

“Isn’t it good for them?” he asked. He rested his cheek against Harry’s belly over his butterfly tattoo, nipple just an inch away from his mouth. “Didn’t you want to?” 

“Instinctually, yes, but they weren’t my babies. By contract I wasn’t allowed contact with them once they were out. I got to see them through the nursery window, though.” 

His brows furrowed. “Is that in our contract?” 

“I don’t have it memorized, but probably,” Harry shrugged and brushed Louis’ hair back from his forehead.

“I wouldn’t want to take the baby from you when he’s born. You can see him if you want.” 

“Most mothers want to be the first and only mother the baby bonds with,” Harry explained. 

“No mother around, just me,” Louis shrugged. 

“I might get attached, though,” Harry said softly, “With Os it’s different. Seeing and hearing and scenting the baby triggers responses after birth. I never had full milk come in because of that. I’ve heard that most times the colostrum comes in really fast and is really painful if the baby doesn’t feed.” 

“But that’s the good stuff for the baby, right? Wouldn’t it be better to just let the baby feed?” 

Harry’s cheeks grew pink as he bit his bottom lip. “Probably. Would you want that?” 

“Wet nurses are a thing, right?” Louis shrugged, “And if it’s healthy for him I don’t see anything wrong with it.”

“I’ve thought about it a lot,” Harry confessed, “About being actually full of milk. A little bit still comes out, but not like you’d think it would, not without a baby.” 

“I bet you’d taste sweet,” Louis leaned forward to take his nipple into his mouth again, suckling gently. Harry moaned and gripped Louis’ hair. 

“Yeah, I want to know,” Harry whimpered and urged Louis to keep going. 

“Fuck, I can smell how wet you are,” Louis groaned around his nipple. 

“Always wet when you’re around,” Harry sounded breathless, “Your scent is everywhere, always makes me want your knot.” 

“Come here,” Louis sat back and crossed his legs. He offered his hands to Harry and helped him scoot into his lap. They pulled the rest of their clothes off and shifted around until Louis was able to slide into his body. It only worked if harry leaned back onto his hands, his legs wrapped around Louis’ hips while he sat, but he was deep. 

“Look at that body,” Louis praised while his hands wandered everywhere they were able to go, pausing on his belly. “So beautiful with my baby in there.” 

Harry moaned and let his head fall back to expose his neck. Louis had to clench his teeth to push down the urge to lunge at his offered skin. 

“Such a beautiful O.” 

He felt the shiver run through Harry’s body, but he didn’t push it. That was taking it too far. Louis didn’t have any claim over him. 

Louis thrust up to meet Harry’s motions, faster and faster until the base of his dick had knotted them together. He reached between them and fondled Harry’s soft little cock and was rewarded with a deep moan and the feeling of Harry coming around him. He tried not to be too smug when he coaxed two more orgasms from him in a matter of minutes. 

“You comfortable?” Louis asked after Harry had to beg him to stop, the sensitivity too much. 

“You’re going to be the death of me via orgasm,” Harry laughed but nodded. He was still leaning back on his hands but seemed to be fine. 

“It still feels that good when I jerk you off soft?” Louis asked curiously, touching his length with a light fingertip. 

“Yeah, it isn’t any less sensitive.” 

“It doesn’t bother you that it shrinks?” Louis wrinkled his nose. He’d be panicking if his dick shriveled up to a fraction of its size. 

“Not really,” Harry said through a wide yawn and shrugged. “Not the way it would probably bother an alpha or even a male beta. I was well above average before the first baby.” 

“And it just shrinks??” Louis asked in horror. 

Harry just laughed and smiled in amusement. “Use it or lose it, that’s what they always say! The reproductive organs being used become priority. Not that I’d want to, but I probably couldn’t father a child anymore without a lot of medical intervention. That’s just the way it goes.” 

“And that really doesn’t bother you??” Louis stared down at Harry’s petite male parts wondering how he would feel if the roles were reversed. He couldn’t fathom it. 

“I’m doing exactly what I want to do. I love being pregnant and I think I’d get jealous if someone else was carrying my baby. That’s my job!” 

“You don’t miss jerking off??” 

Harry wrinkled his nose, “I can still jerk off! Just not easily while I’m pregnant, but that’s temporary.” 

“I just can’t imagine…” 

“You can’t imagine because your brain resides in your knot,” Harry giggled. Louis would be offended if that comment came from anyone else, but from Harry it just made him grin and roll his eyes. “We’re just built differently. My urge is usually to get fucked, not to be the one fucking, so it doesn’t really bother me.” 

“You’ve been satisfying your urge to get fucked a lot lately,” Louis winked. 

“I know,” Harry whined and pouted, wiggling his hips against their tie to draw attention to their current position. “I don’t know how I’m going to go back to never getting it. I’ve been spoiled.” 

“Me too. I’d gone years without anything but my own hand and toys until you suggested we do it the old fashioned way.” 

“Really? You’re a handsome, young, desirable alpha. I figured you’d have any O you wanted.” 

“That’s sort of how I got into this situation,” he confessed. “When you have Os throwing themselves at you constantly for the wrong reasons, all of them fighting to get at you, it can be really overwhelming. It’s hard to know who you can trust when a story comes out about the size of your knot or your scent or the length of your tie… Ruins the mood, makes it not worth it. I don’t want to go seek out a partner in all that, so I stopped trying. No one can get a story when there isn’t a story to tell.”

“I don’t know what they would have to complain about. I surely have no complaints,” Harry said with a grin before his expression softened. “That’s shit. I’m sorry, you don’t deserve that. I don’t know why they can’t see that you’re just a person, a lovely person, too. I wouldn’t be doing this with just anyone, so you know. I’m genuinely attracted to you, for one, not just because of who you are. You’re very sweet and kind and attentive to me and you seem like a really good person. The universe just threw you more than your share of the rotten sides of fame.”

“Thank you,” Louis blushed. He wondered how he ever stumbled upon a surrogate like Harry. He was the kind of omega Louis would have considered bonding with under different circumstances, if they hadn’t signed a contract for their arrangement. 

“I mean it. I’ve never met such a gentle and considerate alpha. The world is missing out.” 

  
  
  


Harry started to follow Louis down to his studio while he was working and Louis found that he didn’t mind it the way he did if Greg tried to follow him when he wanted to write. The omega usually made himself comfortable on the couch with a book or his laptop balanced on top of his belly and it was nice to have his scent freshening the air. 

He gave Harry his credit card and let him scroll through all the baby websites to shop for the necessities he’d need. He turned the screen to ask Louis’ preference on items every once in a while, but otherwise Louis trusted him. 

“It doesn’t make sense for you to get those bottles, they are the kind that screw onto the breast pump,” Harry giggled at one of the pictures Louis had pointed to. He turned the screen back to scroll through some other options for Louis to pick from. 

“Isn’t that a good thing?” he strummed through a chord progression, not really working anymore. 

“Not if you don’t have a breast pump.” 

“Do I need one of those?” 

“Not unless you plan on lactating yourself, which might be interesting. I’ve heard it can happen for alphas if you really want it to.” 

Louis lip curled in disgust and his hands protectively covered his nipples. “Definitely not. But what about for you?” 

He didn’t realize what he’d asked until Harry grew silent and caught his lip between his teeth. Having Harry around was something he’d stopped questioning, apparently he’d inserted Harry into his life after the baby was born as well without a conscious thought about it. 

“If you wanted to,” he quickly tried to cover, “I’ve read it’s better for omega born babies than formula.” 

“You want my milk?” Harry asked curiously. 

“I mean, I guess I thought—” Louis wasn’t sure what he wanted or how to answer. He hadn’t thought any of it through. “You said you wanted to feel what it was like. If it’s just going to go to waste, it would be good for him?”

“I could do that,” Harry nodded slowly and looked back at the screen but stopped scrolling. His eyes were unfocused and Louis felt a roll of guilt move through him. 

“Sorry. That was really inappropriate to ask that,” he said quickly, “You didn’t sign up for anything like that.” 

“No, it’s fine. I would love to do that for you, for your baby. It would be a lot of pumping to keep up. I’d have to freeze it and have someone drop it off.” 

Louis shrugged. “Or you could just feed him.” 

Louis was really on a roll with his unfiltered comments. His face felt hot as the sudden image of Harry breastfeeding their newborn was clear as day. He had to force himself to look up from where he’d been staring at Harry’s chest. 

“You want me to breastfeed your baby?” 

His baby.  _ Louis’ _ baby. He had always been Louis’ baby, but hearing Harry say it like that snapped him into attention. It was the first time Louis had thought of him as theirs. It made everything inside him feel scrambled, including his brain. He really was  _ their _ baby. 

“Yeah, I really do,” he answered honestly. “You can think about it.” 

Harry was quiet for a while, but Louis didn’t miss the clicks that added the breast pump accessories to the wish list. It made Louis smile. 


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm sorry in advance

It was easier to imagine Harry with their baby the larger his belly grew. The first time Louis felt the baby kick against his hand, he couldn’t imagine sharing those moments with anyone but Harry. He knew he’d ache for Harry with the baby’s first smile, first steps, first words. It was becoming a problem Louis didn’t know how to address. 

It also didn’t help that Harry and Greg had naturally started to form a friendship being around each other so frequently. It made Harry feel like a permanent fixture in his life when they both had signed papers that he wouldn’t be. It was bad enough that he was already used to having Harry in his bed every night and expected him there each morning when he woke up. 

“Harry seems really nice,” Greg said one afternoon, startling Louis where he was standing at the floor to ceiling windows facing the pool. Harry was floating with his belly sticking out of the water and looked so serene with the sun warming his bronzing skin. It obviously didn’t take much to give the omega a tan. 

“Yeah, he is,” Louis agreed. 

“Have you thought about what’s going to happen after the baby is born?” Greg prodded. 

“He’ll be born and then I’ll take care of him? What else am I supposed to do after he’s born?” 

“I meant with Harry. Are you going to be okay after he’s gone?” 

Louis frowned and watched Harry turn in the water. “Yeah? That was the arrangement. I’m sure he’ll want to move on after a few months.” 

“Have you thought about courting him?” Greg asked and Louis could tell he was trying to approach the subject cautiously. “I’ve never seen you so comfortable with anyone. Especially a stranger.”

“He’s already pregnant with my baby. This isn’t exactly an appropriate courting scenario,” Louis rolled his eyes, “Plus, he’s a professional.” 

Harry  _ was  _ a professional, Louis had to remind himself. As much as he liked the idea of properly courting Harry, that wasn’t something in the cards for them. Traditionally courting him was even more out of the question considering Harry was already pregnant. 

“This isn’t the 1950’s. You wouldn’t be allowed to even hire a surrogate if you wanted to follow all those stupid customs. Courting only means you have intentions of bonding with them now, another way to say serious dating. Just think about it, okay? He might actually be good for you.” 

Louis scoffed and his body squared up in a defensive pose, his arms crossed over his chest. It was such an alpha reaction and those rarely came out in him. 

“It was a horrible idea a few months ago when I first hired Harry and now you think he might be good for me?” Louis rolled his eyes and set his jaw. He could feel sparks of rage threatening to blaze into an inferno if Greg kept it up. “You’re really pissing me off. I think you should go for the day.” 

Greg sighed. “Fine. I said that before but then I got to know him.”

Louis held up a hand to stop him and Greg thankfully knew when to leave him alone. Greg’s departure didn’t settle him, though. 

He stomped over to the patio doors and had his hands on the glass to push it open when his whole body froze. His palms were still pressed to the glass and his body was leaning into the push, yet his body was completely rigid. He swallowed hard against the rising bile in his throat and the beat of his heart jumped up in speed within his chest. 

Then, all at once, a shadow fell over him and he looked up to see Harry’s hands pressed against his on the other side. Harry offered him a smile and Louis forced himself to smile back. He was sure it more closely resembled a wince. 

“Can I?” Harry asked muffled through the door and gestured to mean opening the door. 

Louis remained frozen and didn’t give any answer to Harry’s question. His palms moved as Harry slowly started to open it and Louis was forced to stumble forward into Harry with his weight no longer supported by his hands. Harry wasn’t in a position to catch Louis, but held onto the door and stood steady while it happened. 

“Hey,” Harry greeted gently when Louis looked up at him with wide eyes. He then started to shake like a leaf when he felt his bare feet on the pebbled stone that made up his pool deck and his body was wrapped in the warm air that was such a contrast from the air conditioning that rushed out from behind him. 

It was his backyard, his secure backyard with tall walls closing it in. It made it nearly impossible for anyone to scale them or any other likely threat to get in, but the idea was still there. People hiding in bushes, fans waiting to ambush him, camera lenses pointed towards his every move. He was vulnerable. 

“I’ve got you,” Harry repeated to him gently a few times while they rocked back and forth together. He was curled over Harry’s belly and Harry’s arms were wrapped tightly around his shoulders. It was an awkward position yet Louis felt so secure in the embrace. The water lingering on Harry’s body and dripping from his hair soaked into Louis’ clothing and felt cold when it touched his skin. It gave him something to focus on. 

“Want to come get in the pool with me?” Harry asked.

Louis nodded. He  _ did _ want to get in the pool with him. Sometimes it was torture to stare out the window and long for a refreshing dip in the pool. He used to spend a lot of his free days out there with a beer or sometimes just floating with some music on the expensive sound system he’d had installed for himself. All of it had gone to waste until Harry ventured out. 

“Can’t,” Louis mumbled where his face was hidden against Harry’s chest. 

“You already are,” Harry murmured back against his hair. 

Louis cautiously looked up and his legs started to feel like rubber when he realized they had traveled more than the length of a person from his safe haven. Louis hadn’t even noticed them moving. His grasped at Harry’s arms, his fingers holding so tightly that his knuckles were white. The omega would probably be left with a hand-shaped bruise on both sides. 

“I’ve got you. It’s just us out here, just me and you at home.”

Louis looked up and locked his terrified eyes with Harry’s calming gaze. Harry guided them another step towards the pool. This time, Louis noticed the movement as his knees threatened to buckle. 

Harry leaned forward slowly, the obstacle of his belly making it a little more difficult. He still managed to lean in close and press his lips in a long kiss near Louis’ ear. 

“I’ll get naked in the pool if you join me,” the omega whispered in a teasing tone. 

Louis shuddered. He wanted to see that, he really did. He had the privilege of seeing Harry naked at least once a day, but there was something alluring about seeing Harry floating naked in the water. 

“I bet you’ve never gone skinny dipping in this pool,” Harry pulled back with a teasing glint in his eyes. 

“Never,” Louis tried to joke back, but his face refused to let him grin. There were too many alarm bells still blaring at him. He was still outside in the open where anything could happen, anyone could see. 

“It’s just us,” Harry whispered to him again, this time after making Louis look up at his face. It was something to focus on while Harry’s fingers found the hem of Louis’ shirt and pulled it off over his head. He felt his pants go down as well, pooling around his feet at Harry’s hands. 

Harry stayed close while he struggled to pull off the wet top he wore swimming when Greg or anyone else was around. His nipples were hard and were always begging to be sucked. Louis leaned forward and took one into his mouth without a second thought. Harry moaned and slid his fingers into Louis’ hair to hold him there. 

“You’re trying to distract me,” Harry said breathlessly, but really, Louis was trying to distract himself. “I’ll suck you off if you join me.”

That was something they hadn’t done much of, at least on Louis’ end. Their sex together usually had the same goal in mind and often Harry was too eager to get it to spend much time on foreplay. It wasn’t something that bothered Louis, but he wasn’t about to refuse it when offered. 

“Come sit on the edge.” Harry started to lead him closer. Louis’ whole body was visibly shaking by the time they reached the pool’s ledge. “Just let me do this for you and then you can go back inside.” 

Louis couldn’t find the strength to protest when Harry helped him to sit down and let his feet dangle in the water. He was still shaking and he wasn’t sure how he was still breathing, but he was still there. He watched Harry make a show of taking off his bottoms and then came down the stairs into the pool to rejoin Louis on the edge. He fit easily between Louis’ spread knees and the depth of the pool put Louis’ dick right at mouth level. He was half hard despite the anxiety racing through his body. 

It was like torture to try to enjoy what Harry was gifting him with while every other part of him revolted in mass panic. He focused on Harry’s mouth until something in his peripheral vision reminded him of where he was. Then he’d squeeze his eyes shut until he saw stars and look back down at the omega’s big, watery eyes that never left his face. 

He came with a choked off cry that left him anything but satisfied, though it did cause some of his muscles to unclench. 

“Come in with me,” Harry urged softly while his hands rubbed Louis’ thighs. 

It took a lot of energy and determination to lower his body into the water, but it was an unexpected relief. The water pushed against him from all angles with a comfortable weight that made him feel settled and more grounded than he had in the open air. He bent his knees and let the water come up over his shoulder. His mind cleared a bit and he let himself enjoy it for a moment. 

“Feels nice, doesn’t it?” Harry asked as he came closer, water up to his chin. 

“Yeah, I love your mouth,” he croaked out, voice rough from tension. 

“Not that,” Harry giggled and moved slowly around him through the resistance of the water. “I meant the water. Feels nice after a long day. The baby doesn’t feel so heavy when I’m in the water.” 

Louis reached out to place his hands on either side of Harry’s belly, staring down at it through the water. 

“Is it that bad?” 

“It’s the extra weight of a baby,” Harry shrugged with a laugh, “It’s not that bad, but my back has started to ache. That’s normal.” 

Nodding, Louis moved closer to Harry. The water made him feel more surrounded and safe, but he was still aware of being outside and it was still difficult to take in a deep breath with his chest so tight. He needed to be touching Harry to keep him present. 

“I still can’t believe you love being pregnant. It sounds really painful and uncomfortable,” Louis wrinkled his nose. 

“Even the aches just remind me that I’m pregnant which gets me so excited,” Harry murmured after resting their foreheads together, “You’ve seen how it gets me off. No one really knows that about me, but you always indulge me. You always know just what to say and do to bring it out in me.” 

“You’re the one that brought it out in me. I never knew I’d be so into pregnant sex but it’s the best sex I’ve ever had,” Louis grinned, licking his lips before leaning in to kiss the omega. It was deep and slow, Louis’ hands on Harry’s belly that bumped up against his own. 

“Me too,” Harry confessed, “It was always fantasies when I got off on it before. The real thing is sooo much better. I never remember heat sex like I remember us together. Think about feeling you knocking me up all the time, about us making this baby. Always want your knot.” 

“I’m going to be so jealous the next time you’re pregnant with someone’s baby,” Louis said softly, murmuring against the omega’s lips. “I hope you don’t let them do it like I did. I hope you don’t let them knot you like you let me.”

He felt Harry tense for a moment before he dove in for another kiss and Louis was distracted. They made out urgently in the water until Harry lost his footing and nearly drowned them both, pool water burning Louis’ nose by the time they’d both popped back up to the surface. 

“Let’s go back in,” Harry suggested and Louis felt his body grow rigid again. The cocoon of water felt safer than standing in the open or darting towards the door. Maybe he’d spend the rest of his life in his swimming pool. 

Harry recognized the change and gave him another long kiss, even if his lips weren’t as responsive. 

“I’ll go grab some towels, stay here.” 

Louis reached out for him as he went, watching his naked form rise from the water as he made his way up the stairs. The deep curve of his back where the baby pulled it forward was so sexy to Louis. He didn’t get to see him just walking around naked often. Maybe they could ban clothing in the house so Louis could always see the arousing curves the baby was giving Harry. 

“Come up the steps and I’ll wrap you up in this,” Harry said while holding out a big fluffy towel. It wasn’t one of the cheap pool towels he’d acquired but one from his bathroom. He appreciated the gesture. 

Each step felt like his feet were encased in cement blocks, but he made it to Harry’s level and was rewarded with the soft warmth and then Harry’s arms. They rushed inside before Louis had long enough to overthink what had just happened. 

  
  
  


Harry in the third trimester of the pregnancy turned out to be just an exaggerated version of himself when he’d first started to show. He rarely complained about any aches and pains unless he was pulling for Louis’ attention and he was more radiant than he’d been before. Louis had never seen anyone as suited for pregnancy as Harry was. His little waddle was endearing and his belly was perfectly round in the way Louis only thought happened with models. 

On top of that came a shift in their sex life that was another new experience for Louis. His own body became attuned to Harry’s needs and easily read his pheromones. It made him find more pleasure in Harry’s body than he would just chasing his own orgasm. He was growing spoiled. 

This new stage in pregnant sex came about without warning one evening while they were on a Netflix marathon. Harry crawled into his lap without a word, straddling Louis’ hips and curling into him so he could tuck his face into Louis’ neck. 

They sat like that until Harry started to circle his hips and whimper needy sounds into Louis’ ear. They got each other naked and Harry sank down on Louis’ dick in the same position. 

Normally when Harry was on top, he liked to make it a show for Louis. This time, he simply curled back into Louis and let his weight settle to take him deep. There wasn’t a lot of movement or urgency to get off, but Louis felt his knot expanding anyway. It did so slowly, stretching Harry open where they connected. 

“Feels big,” Harry mumbled and shifted against it. 

They sat just like that until the next episode started and then Harry lifted his head and moved his hands to his belly. A crease of concern formed between his brows and then Harry’s body was clenching down on him almost painfully. 

Harry groaned and Louis was sure he’d done something to hurt him, that he’d injured the baby. 

“What’s happening??” Louis asked with wild eyes, ready to rip Harry off his knot to call an ambulance. 

Harry’s face smoothed out after a moment and then he laughed. “First contraction. That was wild!” 

Louis wasn’t on the same level and immediately began to freak out. “He’s coming?? The baby is coming??” He could feel his palms growing sweaty. 

“No, too early for that,” Harry giggled at his concern. “Unless they start coming regular enough to be timed.” 

Louis stared up at him and couldn’t understand how he was laughing. Louis was on the edge of having a heart attack. 

“I think my body is just starting to get ready. I think that’s why I just want to sit on your knot,” Harry said and rubbed his hands over his belly. “I don’t want to ever get up. I just want to sit here stretched on your knot.” 

So that’s what Harry did. They found different positions for Harry to sit in Louis’ lap while they watched tv. Louis’ own body responded to Harry’s need and he stayed hard with his knot fully popped for what felt like hours at a time. He experienced a few contractions every now and then, but Harry assured him it wasn’t time just yet. 

They’d talked about the birth, but they weren’t yet ready to execute their plan. The contract required Harry to sign over his rights and have no contact with the baby once he was placed in Louis’ custody. With Louis unable to come to the hospital for that exchange, it made it difficult to plan. 

Harry had proposed a homebirth that solved some of the problems while complicating others. There was a midwife that Harry had spoken with who agreed to the plan and also an official willing to oversee the legal aspects. This also gave Louis the power to let Harry not only see, but breastfeed the baby once he was born. This was a detail they had yet to tell anyone and probably wouldn’t until the moment came. 

At the hospital, there were guards to assure the safety of omegas in the maternity ward and unbonded omegas were their top priority. Not only would it be difficult for Louis to even see Harry throughout the birth and directly after with these guards, but it would be difficult to bring the baby to Harry with those same guards also enforcing other policies. If the contract said Harry was to have no contact with the baby, the guards would make sure that was the case. 

At home, they wouldn’t have to worry about that. Louis would be allowed to be present for the birth in such an intimate setting and would also have the ability to initiate the change in contract to allow Harry contact. If all went well, it would be a calming way for their baby to enter the world. 

It would only get complicated if there were any unexpected issues. If Harry or the baby needed to be rushed to the hospital or if the birth had to be moved to the birthing center, Louis wasn’t sure what would happen. If Harry didn’t sign over his rights immediately, then he would be able to make decisions for the baby without Louis needing to be there. They both decided this might be the best option, even if it complicated things later. Louis just wanted them both to be safe and healthy. 

  
  
  


Boxes started arriving at Louis’ door stuffed full of all the baby stuff Harry had been ordering. Harry spent part of each day opening the boxes and putting everything away while Louis worked in the studio. He’d cleaned out a cupboard for baby items in the kitchen and placed everything on the shelves once he’d washed them. He also started to launder all the baby onesies and burp cloths. 

“You don’t have to wash those,” Louis assured him one afternoon when he caught Harry transferring everything from the washer to the dryer. It was a long process with his belly in the way but Harry waved off any help. 

“No! You are not going to make your housekeeper do all the baby laundry,” Harry shook his head with a small laugh and then paused to scold him. “Especially not once the baby gets here.” 

Louis blushed sheepishly because Harry was right. He had been planning on her doing all the laundry. Harry shook his head and rolled his eyes fondly. 

“I’ll at least do it now for you so she doesn’t have to. But you really should give her a raise.” 

Harry continued to find places for everything, and soon, the nursery finally looked like a nursery instead of a messy work in progress. 

He found Harry asleep in the rocking chair one afternoon and smiled when he saw Harry had been folding onesies on top of his belly. It was the most adorable thing he’d ever seen. Harry was really starting to nest in even if he denied it every time Louis brought it up. Louis understood the likely reason was that Harry didn’t want to admit what he was doing since he wouldn’t be there to maintain it. Louis wouldn’t mind if he stayed forever. 

But their days were numbered. The baby would come and Harry would stick around for a few days, maybe a few weeks, and then he’d be off to his next surrogacy without a second thought. 

Until then, Louis was going to enjoy every minute. He already loved every minute. 

He loved seeing Harry walk around his home in a bathrobe and an old tshirt stretched over his belly. He loved having a presence in the house other than himself, Harry’s scent lingering in each room to remind him he wasn’t there alone. He loved feeling his baby kick and watching him grow. He loved exploring Harry’s changing body. He loved the soft conversations they had when they were close. He loved that Harry never pushed him too far. He loved that they had so much in common. 

He also loved the regular sex he was getting at least twice a day. He’d never been with anyone more sexually compatible with him. They were so comfortable with each other that their dirty talk had risen to another level. Once they felt free enough to let their fantasies loose, they didn’t hesitate trying them out on one another. 

One of the only comfortable positions for Harry at this stage of the pregnancy was on all fours, sometimes with a pillow underneath his belly for support. Louis loved to hold his belly protectively as he thrust in from behind. It was a traditional position that gave easy access to the omega’s neck for bonding and Louis didn’t waste any opportunity to rile Harry up. 

It drove the omega wild for Louis to ghost his mouth and his teeth over the spot while murmuring things about claiming him so the only babies in Harry’s womb would be his. Louis’ alpha wanted it to be true, wanted to do it, even if Louis knew enough to hold back. 

It still brought a longing need to make it real, especially when Harry was asleep and Louis was pressed up against his back with his mouth right there. It was one place Harry’s scent was strongest and the baby’s influence was making him smell more like  _ Louis’. _ It was a mind fuck without the bond. Louis wanted it. 

  
  
  


Harry moaned as he slowly shifted his hips back and forth while impaled on Louis’ cock. His knot was swollen and felt huge as the omega squeezed around him. 

In his own little world, Harry moaned as Louis stretched him out. He’d been like this since he’d come the first time, unable to stop himself from rotating against their tie. Sitting in reverse, Harry leaned forward to brace himself on Louis’ knees while he kept going. 

Louis finally felt him come hard around him one more time which then triggered a contraction that made Harry’s breath catch in surprise. 

“That was a big one,” Harry said after it had passed. 

Louis had to help Harry stand from their position once his knot had gone down. Harry giggled about it being an unflattering view for him. Louis didn’t mind. 

“Fuck,” Harry swore out softly and Louis could see his muscles suddenly tight. 

“What??” Louis sat up as Harry turned around. 

“I think my water just broke,” Harry said. He parted his legs and Louis could see the wetness of his inner thighs and what had already dripped down to the carpet. It wasn’t as much as he’d always imagined, but definitely different than Harry’s slick. 

“Oh my god!” Louis exclaimed and popped up, nearly knocking Harry off balance. “Isn’t this early?? We’re not ready!” 

“It’s fine. It’s not that early. Just give the midwife a call and see if she can come over. My contractions aren’t even together yet.” 

They hadn’t reached Harry’s due date, but it wasn’t too early. They’d both noticed how the baby had dropped the day before and knew they were getting close. 

Louis went searching for his phone while Harry made the short trip to the kitchen for some paper towels for the wet spot he’d left on the floor. 

Louis pulled on his pants and sprawled out on the couch while he made the call. The midwife was thankfully available and would make her way over to the house soon. No need to panic. Everything was under control even if Louis was buzzing with nervous excitement. 

“Lou?” came a hesitant call from the kitchen followed by another that sounded more urgent. 

Louis jumped up and raced to the kitchen where Harry was standing with his legs clenched together, paper towels still grasped in one hand while the other gripped the counter. 

“I think the baby’s coming,” Harry said with a panicked expression. 

“Yeah, it’s coming but the midwife is on the way so everything will be fine,” Louis reassured him. It seemed strange that Harry would have such a panicked reaction when he’d already given birth three times before. Louis had expected him to be calm. 

“No, the baby is coming right now.” He parted his legs just a little and moaned in a strange tone while a hand moved to hold his belly. “Like actually coming right now.”

“Shit!!”

Louis turned and sprinted back to his phone on the couch. He ripped his blanket off the back and rushed back into the kitchen where Harry was already down on his knees. He took the blanket from Louis and knelt on it before taking a position on all fours. He started rocking slowly, breathing deeply between his grunts and moans.

Louis moved between Harry’s feet and nearly yelped when he could already see him being stretched open. He fumbled to call 9-1-1. 

“My omega’s in labour and the baby’s coming,” he rushed out as soon as the operator picked up. He knew there were more words exchanged, but it all became a blur when Harry groaned and Louis could see the baby crowning. He may have put the phone to the side or maybe he hung up. He couldn’t remember. 

Louis was freaking out. This wasn’t how he imagined it happening. “Oh my god, oh my god. What am I supposed to do?” 

“Just catch him, I don’t know,” Harry panted as he glanced over his shoulder and then groaned when another contraction came. “I can’t stop him from coming, oh shit.” 

Louis watched Harry push, their baby forcing his way out where Louis’ knot had just been. The adrenaline was making his hands shake. 

He sat in a state of surreal awe as he watched Harry, each move of his body instinctual. The omega knew his body and Louis watched as he closed his eyes, centering himself to do what needed to be done. 

He rocked back towards his ankles and then up again.

“He’s coming,” Harry groaned again with a strong contraction, grunting until there was the most beautiful gross, slimy baby in Louis’ hands. Harry would later assure him it had taken more than one push to get him out, but it all blurred into that one moment for Louis. 

“Oh my god!” Louis exclaimed and Harry whipped his head around to see what was wrong. It had only been Louis’ shock. The baby squirmed in Louis arms and he stared down at him while his little face scrunched in confused anger and then choked out the smallest cry Louis’ ever heard.

“Shit.” Louis said weakly and was glad his hands were now steady while the rest of him was anything but. Harry had turned and nearly collapsed onto the blanket, exhaustion weighing him down. 

He offered the baby to Harry, setting him in Harry’s arms on top of his still rounded belly. “I’ll go get a– a towel??” 

Louis scrambled up to find some towels or anything to keep the baby warm and clean him up. He skidded to a stop to open the gate as he heard sirens and hoped it was the ambulance coming for them. 

He returned to find Harry staring down at the baby in a state of shock. He looked up only when Louis moved to wrap the baby in one of his bath towels. Their eyes met in this moment, communicating so much between them without words while Harry held their baby that was only minutes old. 

Paramedics rushed in after that yet the two of them kept meeting eyes through the chaos, their little moment extending just a little longer each time. Harry looked tired and his blinks grew slower while they buzzed around him. Something started to feel off. 

They began the process of loading Harry and the baby into the ambulance while Louis looked on. One of the paramedics stopped him when he took a step forward, drawn towards Harry who looked ghostly pale. 

“Sorry, no unbonded alphas can ride with the patient. It’s policy. You can meet us there.” 

Louis looked helplessly towards the open back of the ambulance while he hovered in his own doorway. He couldn’t pass the threshold and he wasn’t allowed in the ambulance even if he could step out into the world. His heart was being ripped open. 

“It’s okay, Louis. I’ll bring him back here once we’re released,” Harry called out in a weak voice from the back of the ambulance, hardly loud enough for him to hear. 

Louis fish mouthed while they finished loading Harry and his baby up and closed the doors. He stumbled out the door as the ambulance drove off and was immediately covered in a cold sweat as the open are swirled around him. He stood with shaking limbs while he watched it the red and blue flashing emergency lights disappear down the street. 

  
  



	10. Chapter 10

Louis stood in the kitchen in just his underwear and a mop held in one hand. Birth was  _ messy. _ No one had told him it would be so messy. 

The ambulance had driven off barely minutes before and Louis had gone to the closet for cleaning supplies in a strange state of autopilot. As he surveyed the aftermath, he realized how ridiculous his actions were. Bloody smears across the white tile, the soiled blanket and Louis ready to clean it up while his omega and baby were en route to the hospital. The whole scene was surreal. 

His baby had just been born, he’d held him in his hands, and yet he was standing there like it was no big deal, like he had returned to clean up after dropping a jar of pickles. His _ baby _ had arrived, his living, breathing baby, and he was set to clean the kitchen.

The wooden handle of the mop clattered loudly as it hit the floor. He needed to be at the hospital. He rushed to throw on the first clothes he could find and shoved his feet into his shoes without socks. 

The cars lined up in his garage were covered in a layer of dust after years of disuse save for the Range Rover that Greg sometimes took out. The keys were lined up on little hooks and he grabbed the ones he was looking for with such force that the rest all clattered to the floor when the board came off the wall. He ignored it and kept walking. If he stopped, he’d never gather the courage for what he was about to do again.

The engine roared to life and Louis put it into gear with shaking hands. He reversed and swore loudly with the loud crash that followed. He’d forgotten to open the garage door and looked back at the metal dented in the shape of the car’s back end. He punched the button and the mechanisms screeched and squealed, the door grinding to a stop just a foot above the ground. It was too damaged to open. 

“Fuck!” he threw the car into park and killed the engine. 

He skidded to a stop on his knees in front of the pile of keys and shuffled through them and closed his fist around the keys to the Porsche he’d purchased just after One Direction had called it quits. He’d only driven it a handful of times. 

He remembered to open the garage door, but he managed to scratch the bumper when he turned too sharply with his shaking hands. He was in no state to be driving. He hadn’t driven himself in so long that his foot stomped on the break with too much force and the car jerked forward when he pressed on the gas. There wasn’t enough time to call Greg to drive him over, he’d lose all his momentum if he stood still for even a moment. 

Pausing before turning onto his street, the cars that passed in front of him felt like they were zipping along at lightning speed instead of the marked 25 mile per hour signs posted in the neighborhood. He felt like he was going to be sick and nearly gunned it into oncoming traffic when he saw a jogger out of the corner of his eye. The paps used to run up to his car just like that and the flashbacks were too real. 

It had been so long that Louis wasn’t even sure how to get to the hospital. He turned right and felt like a granny as he inched the car down the street. The first car horn sounded behind him at a stoplight while he tried to remember which hospital was even closest. Did Harry get to choose where he was taken? Would they take him all the way to Cedars or to the closest emergency room?

Taking a gamble, he headed towards the closest hospital he remembered and hoped it would be right. He didn’t even have his phone with him to check directions. He’d left with nothing, not even his wallet. 

He left another long scratch on the passenger side door as he tried to maneuver into the hospital’s parking ramp. He was just glad it was a pole and not another vehicle. 

His hand shook as he pressed the button for the elevator and his vision started to blur around the edges when he stumbled through the emergency room entrance. He pushed himself towards the first counter and gripped the edge to steady himself from the vertigo that was making him sick. He couldn’t breathe. There were too many people. There were too many things going on. 

Surrounded by a group of green scrubs and white lab coats, Louis begged for someone to take him to his omega. They were speaking in rushed voices but he couldn’t understand them. He couldn’t understand himself. The language had changed and his mind hadn’t learned to understand what his lips had learned to say. He felt himself crumpling to the floor like his bones had melted away. Maybe they had. Louis wasn’t sure. Hands were on him, pulling him, lifting him, or maybe they were dragging him down. The world was turning and he wasn’t sure which way was up. Where was Harry? Harry always pulled him up. Harry always saved him. 

But Harry wasn’t there. 

  
  
  
  


Louis blinked his eyes open to bright fluorescent lighting. His eyelids were sluggish, but he could still see the lights through them when they were closed. It was how he could tell he was still awake. The lights never left. 

He was groggy and his limbs felt heavy. He was cold and his body shivered and prickled goosebumps on his arms. Unsure of where he was, he could feel the weight of a blanket over his legs, rough and uninviting under his fingertips. 

“Hi.” 

Louis rolled his head to the side. It took a lot of energy, but he recognized the voice. It was familiar. 

“Hi,” Harry said again as Louis blinked and tried to make sense of what was happening. 

Harry in a hospital gown. Harry with his own legs covered by an off white blanket that looked just as stiff and uncomfortable as the one he felt over his own body. Harry with tubes running to him from bags hanging nearby. 

He nearly asked what had happened when things started to come together. The only thing missing was the journey from the waiting room of the emergency room to where he was now. 

“Hi,” Louis rasped out. He was so tired. He wanted to close his eyes and sleep for a year. 

“I heard you made a dramatic entrance. I thought spontaneous birth on the kitchen floor was dramatic enough but no! You had to upstage me.” There was mirth glittering in Harry’s eyes and he was holding back a grin. 

Louis groaned in embarrassment and rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands. Making a scene was the opposite of what he wanted to do. 

“What happened?” he groaned. 

“They had to sedate you when they couldn’t get you to calm down,” Harry said, “That’s what they said. I wasn’t there to know for sure.” 

He took a moment to look around and realized by the setup and decor that they were in a room in the maternity ward. “How did I end up here?” 

“I overheard a few of the nurses gossiping about  _ Louis Tomlinson _ being in the building. Very unprofessional, honestly,” Harry smirked and shook his head, “So then I had to convince the group of nurses and then a doctor and then some other official looking person that I wasn’t a crazy fan and that you were actually here for me and, eventually, they brought you up!” 

Louis could see the headlines already. They were probably being printed as Harry spoke.  _ Louis Tomlinson Sedated in LA Hospital. Recluse Louis Tomlinson Spotted Outside Home. Crazy Tommo Subdued by Hospital Staff.  _

He groaned again. He’d have to call Greg to contact his PR people to deal with it. He might even have to threaten some lawsuits about privacy rights to stop people from talking. 

All of that could wait. 

With his lead-filled limbs, he turned onto his side to face Harry. The beds were closer than he imagined the room was designed for and wondered if Harry had requested it. 

“How are you feeling?” Louis asked, so glad that the colour had returned to the omega’s pale cheeks and that he seemed in good spirits. 

“Pretty good, actually,” Harry smiled. 

“You looked like you were dying when they drove you off.” It was an exaggeration, but Louis had still been concerned. 

“I was in shock, I think,” Harry said, “And I was also bleeding quite a bit. My blood pressure dipped a few times on the ride in, but they said it wasn’t life threatening and then it stabilized once I got here.” 

Louis couldn’t let himself linger on the possibility of losing Harry like that so he shook it out of his mind. 

“And the baby?” 

“He’s doing really well,” Harry smiled fondly and looked to his side. 

Louis hadn’t even noticed what else was in the room beyond Harry’s bed. He pushed himself up and could see the edge of the thing that probably held his baby. Just a little unsteady on his feet, Louis slid off the bed and made his way around to the little bed. 

He gasped softly when he laid eyes on the little tightly wrapped bundle, just a little chubby face sticking out. He looked so different from the squirmy, angry thing Louis held in his hands while he took his first breaths of life. The little babe looked so peaceful that he didn’t want to disturb him even though he was aching to scoop him up. 

“He’s healthy. Seven pounds, four ounces. Ten fingers, ten toes.” 

Harry was trying to stop himself from grinning but he was still beaming. 

“He’s perfect,” Louis said in wonder. 

“I told them we’re pre-bonded so they’d let you come in here. I hope that’s okay,” Harry itched his nose and sounded a bit nervous. 

“That’s fine,” Louis nodded, distracted by the baby demanding his attention. He gave in and reached in to scoop him up, gently lifting his newborn to his chest. He hardly fussed as he was moved. 

“He’s O, like me,” Harry nearly whispered. 

“Is he really?” Louis looked up and then back down at the little bundle. Male Os were rare and usually skipped a generation. “I already knew you were going to be special,” Louis cooed to the sleeping baby, leaning in to press a kiss to his forehead. He smelled new. He smelled like _ them _ . 

“Aren’t you tired?” Louis asked as he perched on the edge of the hospital bed by Harry’s knees. 

“You were out for a while,” Harry laughed softly, “I took a nap while they were doing his checkup and then after they brought you up here.” 

It was dark outside the window and Louis had no idea what time of day or even what day it was. 

“There was a lot going on when we got here, so I don’t think they know about the whole surrogacy thing. They brought him to me like any other birth to feed him. I hope you don’t mind. I know we discussed it, but--” 

“No, that’s good. I’m glad.” Louis glanced up to see Harry nervously biting his bottom lip. “How was it?” 

Louis was surprised to see tears spill over Harry’s lashes and down his rosy cheeks. They weren’t the tears of joy that Louis expected from him.

“I don’t think I can do it,” Harry said softly with his voice quivering. “It was so easy and it happened so fast,” he sniffed, “And he looked up at me--” 

He tried to hold it back but a small sob forced its way out. Louis stared at him with concerned shock. That didn’t sound bad at all. It sounded wonderful to Louis. 

“I can’t do it,” Harry repeated again with another sob, “I’m already too attached. Back there in the kitchen when he was trying to scent me the second you put him in my arms and then when they brought him to me and he latched on like it wasn’t the first time for both of us--”

Harry dissolved into another sob and the baby started to stir with the distress in the air. Louis gently placed him back into the little bed and crawled up next to the omega, mindful of the IV line still attached to his arm. 

“I can’t come back to the house with you, especially now that I know he’s O like me. I won’t be able to leave him.”

Even Harry’s ugly crying wasn’t ugly at all. Louis was at a loss for words while Harry cried it out, holding the omega close to him like all the other times his hormones had left him in tears about the smallest things. But it wasn’t like the other times. This time they were real tears. Louis hadn’t even named their little baby and already Harry was leaving.

There was a part of Louis that thought Harry would want to stay. They’d come home with their baby to the nursery Harry had helped to set up and Harry would just become part of it. Louis assumed it would be as easy as everything else had been. 

But Louis knew the reality of their arrangement and knew that letting himself imagine life with Harry was dangerous territory. He kissed the top of Harry’s head while he held him and shed a few tears of his own while Harry couldn’t see. He didn’t want it to be over. 

“I’m so sorry,” Harry whispered against Louis’ chest. 

Louis ran his fingers through Harry’s messy curls and held him. He’d come straight to the hospital and realized now when Harry moved against him that his skin felt tight, still covered with fluids from birth. It was an experience he’d share with Harry forever no matter what happened. It was life changing. 

“No, I’m the one that should apologize,” Louis finally said when Harry’s sniffles had slowed. “I pushed you for more than you were willing to give. You just wanted the pregnancy and I shouldn’t have pushed you to be more involved. You weren’t in it for a baby or any of those responsibilities.” 

It pained Louis to say it, but he knew he had been the one out of line. His eyes burned with more than just tears, hating himself for getting attached. He’d consciously allowed himself to pretend that Harry was his omega and he’d taken it too far. 

Harry sat up with blotchy cheeks and glossy red eyes. He looked at Louis for a long moment. 

“I wasn’t  _ not _ in it for a baby either,” Harry sniffed and rubbed his eyes. 

“I thought you were a surrogate so you could have the experience without dealing with a baby at the end.” 

Harry’s brows knit together as his eyes searched Louis’ face. 

“I’ve been a surrogate because I love being pregnant but haven’t been in a place to have kids of my own or in a relationship healthy enough for that, not because I don’t want them.” 

“I thought… I thought you just wanted to be pregnant, that you just wanted to be a surrogate.” 

“I think this was my last surrogacy,” Harry said softly, looking away. 

“Why?” Louis took Harry’s hand, his thumb sliding along the tape holding the IV line in place. 

“I told you,” Harry whispered, “I got too attached.” 

“He’s your baby too,” Louis ventured and Harry made a noise as he tried to conceal another sob, shaking his head as he hid his face. “He is. He’s just as much you as he is me.” 

“Louis, don’t,” Harry warned. 

“I asked you if you’d breastfeed him because I wanted you to, because I wanted you around. I want you to be part of his life because you always have been.”

Harry shook his head with another choked out sob. “I knew what I was signing up for. I knew I’d have to give him up. You don’t have to do this to make me feel better. I knew what I was doing.”

“Well I didn’t,” Louis protested, “I didn’t know that I’d want you around all the time or that we’d get along so well or– or– or that I’d want to bond with you.” 

Louis blurted out his confession and they both froze. 

“You want to bond with me?” Harry’s voice was higher than Louis had ever heard it and his eyes were wide when he peeked up from his veil of hair. 

“Yeah,” Louis breathed out, “I do. And I don’t want to raise him without you.” 

Another sob came from Harry but this time it was on top of a laugh. 

“Why didn’t you say something?? This whole time I thought you were just humoring me with everything.” 

“I thought it would be more dramatic to crash two cars while chasing the ambulance in true rom com fashion,” Louis smirked. 

“Louis! You did what??” 

“I’m fiiine,” he waved Harry off, “I’m fine.” 

“How  _ did _ you get here by the way?”

“I drove my Porsche,” Louis shrugged like it was nothing even if his heart was hammering while he not only relived his journey to the hospital, but also thought about how he would get back. 

“Just hearing you say that stresses me out,” Harry groaned and flopped back against his pillow before a smirk curled his lips. 

“So,” Louis turned and leaned on his elbow so he was looking down at Harry’s still splotchy face. Louis still thought he looked lovely. “Will you be my omega?” 

Harry grinned up at him and nodded, pulling him down into a kiss. As soon as their lips met, a little cry interrupted them from the bundle beside the bed. They pulled apart and grinned at each other, such a fitting start to their new lives together. 


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the delay, i was in california seeing harry styles and then andrew mcmahon and then hanson and didn't anticipate having zero time to post this. thanks for sticking around!

**TOMLINSON CLAN STEPS OUT BEFORE HIGHLY ANTICIPATED ONE DIRECTION REUNION**

Just two days before what many are calling the most highly anticipated show of the decade,  
Louis Tomlinson made a rare public appearance with his family near the studio where it is  
rumoured that One Direction has been recording material for an upcoming anniversary release.   
Louis, along with his mate, Harry, appear to have kept themselves busy during the band’s hiatus  
with a new baby bump on display in addition to the couple’s other children. A source confirms  
the new baby is due at the beginning of the year and will join siblings Sailor(7), twins Emilie and  
Annette(6), and Benjamin(2) after their father’s short run of North American shows this fall. 

Tomlinson shocked fans around the world with his debut album _Not What It Seems_ after years  
away from the spotlight. “I’ve struggled with some aspects of fame and I prefer a quiet life at  
home now,” the singer revealed to _Rolling Stone_ , “But music has always been a big part of my  
life and I do miss the stage.” 

Louis will join former bandmates Niall Horan and Liam Payne for 10 shows before the European  
leg of Horan’s current world tour. Limited tickets are still available for select shows. 

  
  
  


“You okay?” Harry asked, shifting Ben on his hip. It threw his posture off, but he still insisted on carrying their toddler around despite Louis’ objection. Harry was such a natural at managing both a pregnancy and their other children. 

“Yeah,” Louis looked up at him as he slid his arms around his waist to pull him closer. Where he was sitting, it was the perfect height for him to rest his cheek on Harry’s belly. His scent was calming. “I’m sorry you had to drag everyone out for that.” 

Scheduled pap walks were something that Louis always hated, he just wasn’t sure if he hated them more when they used to force him to be seen with some up and coming omega or now with his actual family. On one hand, it wasn’t as awkward and Louis didn’t have to pretend to be love-sick for someone whose name had already escaped him. On the other, he had to expose his children to the life he tried so hard to keep them away from. 

He knew he needed to do it. Not only was it good promo for their shows and album, but it gave the world a glimpse so people didn’t get hungry enough to seek them out in other ways. At least this way, it was on Louis’ terms. 

“It’s okay. You know how they love coming to the studio. I don’t think they care,” Harry said gently, his free hand sliding through Louis’ hair. 

Louis sighed. “Until they’re old enough to see the comments about Sailor’s long hair or how twins shouldn’t dress alike or whatever else everyone chooses to pick apart.” 

“We’re teaching them not look at all that. That’s the best we can do.” 

Louis nodded against his belly and then pressed a kiss there. It was hard to teach his children not to be affected by the same things that were still a struggle for him. His instinct was still to shy away from cameras and Google himself an unhealthy amount. It had taken years of hard work not to panic at just the thought of a camera being shoved in his face again. 

At least his fans were incredibly supportive. Touring was something he never thought he’d be able to do again until a fan project inspired him to start out with small venues to ease him back into it. It had given him a platform to speak out about mental health and his own journey back into the spotlight. His fans had been more accommodating and supportive than he could have ever imagined. 

He owed even more to Harry. Harry who was patient and gentle and pushed him just enough but never too far. 

Bringing Sailor home from the hospital had been a strain on their new relationship, but was also a turning point for Louis. Harry wasn’t able to care for a newborn after just giving birth _and_ coddle Louis whenever fresh air so much as touched his skin. Things began to change from that day forward. 

There were still days that Louis had a hard time leaving the house and other’s when he couldn’t handle making appearances or taking the stage. It got better when he accepted it would be something he’d have to keep working on for the rest of his life. 

“I’m going to drop the kids off at my mom’s for the night after this,” Harry said. 

Louis grinned as he looked up. He knew that tone well. Harry still blushed under his gaze even after so many years together. 

“You’ve been giving the kids away a lot lately,” Louis continued to smirk. He pressed another kiss to Harry’s belly and moved both hands up to rub it affectionately. Ben kicked his little leg against Louis’ arm, always begging for attention from both parents even though they never lacked for affection. He tugged on his foot playfully to get a smile out of him. 

“I can’t help it,” Harry whined and then lowered his voice, “How else am I supposed to find enough alone time to get on your K-N-O-T??” 

Louis tilted his head back and laughed. There had been many close calls since the kids were old enough to walk in on them and many stuttered and unbelievable explanations when they actually had. Harry was only pregnant now due to an appropriately timed trip for their anniversary when he would most likely be in heat so they could get some much needed time alone. The pregnancy part hadn’t been planned, but neither of them had been surprised when the signs started to appear. 

It was Harry’s seventh pregnancy and any omega would be envious of the way it looked like his first. Even Louis could admit that he’d let himself go a little in the midst of fatherhood, but Harry wore it well. His hips were a little wider and the signs of creating life were visible on his skin and yet his body had bounced back every time. He looked more mature yet not exactly older and, from the thirst blogs he’d seen made of his mate, he wasn’t bias. 

Louis knew it wasn’t realistic or practical, but he’d gladly keep his mate happily pregnant if he continued to look so amazing in the process. It was mutual. They’d discussed it. 

“Take Ben next door and I’ll let you on it right here,” Louis smirked up at his omega. “The door locks from the inside.” 

Louis laughed when Harry immediately turned and headed towards the door, flipping Louis off playfully on the way. They were both always begging for it, but they still teased each other about it. Louis never let an opportunity slip by when Harry was pregnant. Harry’s pregnancy kink was what had brought them together in the first place. 

The rest of the kids flocked to their uncles and would surely be occupied long enough for them to slip in a quick one. Or a long one. Louis’ knot always held out longer when Harry was pregnant. 

Harry slipped back into room alone a few minutes later, closing and locking the door behind him. They were in a room that they used as a lounge while they were recording with comfy couches perfect for taking naps and dim, calming light. 

“I’ll text them to give us some privacy for a while,” Louis said as Harry stalked towards him like a predator, devilish grin on his face. 

“I don’t even care if they don’t at this point,” Harry shrugged and crossed his arms to pull his shirt over his head. The sight was beautiful and Louis wanted to get his hands on his soft skin. 

He’d moved over to the couch and made grabby hands until Harry was standing right in front of him with only his soft banded jeans as a barrier between them. 

“How do you want it, baby?” 

Harry pushed the jeans down his legs and then started to climb into Louis’ lap, straddling his hips. 

“Just like this so I can kiss you,” Harry said as he fumbled between them to pull Louis out. 

“Just so you can kiss me?” Louis raised a brow while his thumb moved to circle his sensitive nipple. 

Their baby was almost two yet Harry had yet to fully wean him. His personality was so different from the other kids that Harry savoured their quiet time together, usually in the morning since Ben was not a morning baby. It was also difficult to dry up when Louis played such an active role. 

Harry bit his bottom lip and looked up through his lashes at Louis, eyes already dark and fucked out. “Maybe not just for kisses.”

He helped Harry get him out of his clothes and then leaned forward to take one of his nipples into his mouth. The taste of his milk was already there as he swirled his tongue and he moaned before he flattened his tongue and took an actual pull. 

Harry gasped out and his finger grasped Louis’ hair. If he hadn’t been before, Harry was definitely wet now. Louis could feel it against his dick where Harry was grinding down in his lap. 

Using one hand to brace himself on Louis’ shoulder, Harry propped up one leg and reached between them to line Louis up. Immediately Louis realized this idea had been a mistake when Harry’s slick covered him. This was going to be messy and they weren’t even in their own home. 

But it felt so fucking good as Harry slid down over his cock that he forgot to care about what state the room would be in once they were done. 

“This his how we did it the first time,” Louis smirked up at Harry while he found a rhythm. 

“Well someone has to take control sometimes,” Harry threw his head back and moaned, “Why did you bring that up right now? You know how it affects me.” 

Louis grinned. He did know and that was exactly why he’d brought it up. It was a turn on for both of them and a memory they visited often when they were in the mood. 

“Thought you were so fucking hot and had to jerk off thinking about it before my heat,” Harry moaned and Louis grinned. He knew that as well. 

“Then we made a baby,” Louis placed his hands on Harry’s belly and then slid them to his curvy hips as he started to move.

Louis had never been more grateful for soundproof studio space when Harry really got into it. He sat back and watched his beautiful pregnant omega ride him.

“This is going to be a while,” Louis laughed once they were tied, “Didn’t think that through, did you?” 

Harry tucked his face into Louis’ neck and let out a contented sigh after scenting him. 

“I’m just going to take a nap right here.” 

Louis laughed but didn’t protest, rubbing his back in soothing motions. They’d done all of this before and surely they would do all of it again. 

**Author's Note:**

> [Here's a fic post!](https://jaerie.tumblr.com/post/189503951857/i-think-youre-already-home-e-39k-abo-by)


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